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Strokes, retina damage and trapped nerves: Is yoga doing us more harm than good?

2012-01-16T13:36:00.001-08:00

It may be the secret to some of the most lithe and bendy bodies around, but yoga, as loved by celebrities from Matthew McConaughey to Natalie Portman, may also be the cause of a host of severe injuries.

A new book, published next month, lifts the lid on some of the darker sides of the physical and mental stretching techniques - and from back traumas to strokes, the discipline is not without its dangers, writes author William J Broad.

The Science of Yoga: The Risks and the Rewards, out next month, pulls together medical studies and case studies from those who have met with disastrous ends rather than the feel-good flexibility the practice normally affords.

Ancient technique: Yoga is said to calm and heal, but a new book opens the lid on some of the physical and mental stretching practices' darker sides

In an adaptation of the book in the New York Times, Mr Broad recalls meeting Glenn Black, a yogi with classic Indian Iyengar training.

Mr Black, a yoga teacher of nearly 40 years, made the admission that he believes that 'the vast majority of people' should give up yoga. He recently underwent back surgery to correct decades of damage from the discipline.

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The yoga guru told Mr Broad that he has seen people's Achilles tendons tear from overdoing a downward-facing dog, men's ribs breaking with 'pops' from spine-twisting moves and teachers who no longer have any movement in their hips or who are forced to teach lying down because of back problems.

But the most severe cases include a 28-year-old woman who suffered a massive stroke while attempting the 'wheel' position. Her story was documented by Willibald Nagler, of Cornell University Medical College, and published in 1973.

Bendy: Matthew McConaughey enjoys a spot of yoga on the beach - but could he be doing his body more harm than good?

Neurological damage had occurred because of hyperextension of the neck, but the woman - who took two years to learn to walk again and was left with permanent arm and eye and problems - is not alone in succumbing to brain injuries brought on by wounding arteries from head, neck and back movements.

Mr Nagler's report was an early and salu

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2084334/Strokes-retina-damage-trapped-nerves-Is-yoga-doing-harm-good.html#ixzz1jex3eUOh

‘Mini strokes’ linked to lower life expectancy

2012-01-12T19:11:00.000-08:00

“Mini strokes,” with symptoms that last just a few minutes or hours, are well-recognized warning signs for potentially deadly larger strokes. Now new research confirms that they are associated with a lower life expectancy.

Survival rates after mini strokes, known medically as transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), were 20% lower than expected among study participants nine years later compared to the general population. The findings highlight the fact that TIAs are serious events that should not be ignored, says stroke specialist and American Heart Association spokesman Philip Gorelick, MD. He directs the Center for Stroke Research at the University of Illinois College of Medicine....Next

12 to watch in 2012: Alexander Levy

2012-01-12T18:56:00.000-08:00

App inventor Alex Levy is one of the Star's 12 people to watch in 2012.

Lucas Oleniuk/Toronto Star

Vanessa Lu Business Reporter

Alexander Levy never imagined he’d be running a mobile app company.
In 2009 he was finishing up his political science degree at the University of Toronto and was planning to go to law school when he took a part-time research assistant job at the Technologies for Aging Gracefully Lab.
That led him to a chance encounter with Bill Scott, a stroke survivor who suffered from aphasia, where words are on the tip of his tongue, but the person just can’t get them out.
Scott wandered into the lab with a huge binder of photos with words that he used to communicate, along with a bulky machine, wanting to find a better way.
That prompted Levy, with the help of others including his company’s co-founder, Aakash Sahnei, to develop their MyVoice app, which readies a list of specific words based on the GPS location of a smartphone.....Next

Aphasia

2012-01-12T16:40:00.001-08:00

View Trailer

Aphasia

Jim Gloster / USA / English / 40 min / Official Website

Aphasia tells the true story of actor Carl McIntyre about the effects of a massive stroke he suffered at the age of 44 - he lost his ability to read, write and speak. Starring as himself, McIntyre portrays his life story with an incredibly nuanced performance. Through humor and pathos Aphasia speaks to anyone who has struggled to meet life’s challenges. Click for Tickets

Date	Time	Venue	Tickets
Sunday 02/12/2012	2:00pm	The JCC in Manhattan
Monday 02/13/2012	7:00pm	Staten Island JCC	Call for tickets - 718.475.5291
Saturday 02/11/2012	1:00pm	St. Agnes Library	Free.

Red meat linked to high stroke risk - study

2012-01-08T12:27:00.000-08:00

By David Liu, PHD

Saturday Jan 7, 2012 (foodconsumer.org) -- A new study in the journal Stroke suggests that eating too much red meat may drastically increase risk of stroke.

The study led by Adam M. Bernstein, MD, ScD of the Wellness Institute of the Cleveland Clinic and colleagues found high intake of red meat was associated with an elevated risk of stroke while eating poultry was correlated with a reduced risk.

For the study, researchers followed 84, 010 women aged 30 to 55 years at baseline and 43,150 men aged 40 to 75 years who at baseline had no diagnosed cancer, diabetes, or cardiovascular disease, for 26 and 22 years respectively. During the follow-up, 2633 and 1397 strokes occurred in women and men respectively.

The researchers found that compared to consumption of one serving per day of red meat, one serving per day of poultry, nuts, fish, low-fat dairy and whole fat dairy cut the risk of stroke by 27, 17, 17, 11, and 10 percent, respectively.

However, when legumes and eggs replaced red meat, the risk remained the same. Caution needs to be exercised when interpreting this finding. Legumes were consumed in small quantity and it may not play any significant role in the risk for stroke, a health observer suggested.

The findings indicate that red meat eaters may cut their risk for stroke if they opt to eat poultry, fish, but and dairy products instead of red meat.

Stroke is a leading cause of death in the U.S. More than 800,000 Americans die each year from cardiovascular disease and strokes. In the U.S., about 800,000 people have a stroke.

Symptoms of a stroke include sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding, sudden trouble seeing in on or both eyes, sudden trouble walking, feeling dizzy, losing balance or coordination and sudden severe headache without known causes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Singing Therapy Helps Stroke Patients Speak Aga

2011-12-27T15:45:00.000-08:00

Singing Therapy Helps Stroke Patients Speak Again

Enlarge Ellen Webber for NPR Laurel Fontaine, 16, (left) and her twin sister Heather. When Laurel was 11 years old, she suffered a stroke that destroyed 80 percent of the left side of her brain. The singing therapy helped her regain the ability to speak.

Debra Meyerson was hiking near Lake Tahoe 15 months ago when a stroke destroyed part of the left side of her brain, leaving her literally speechless. It happens to more than 150,000 Americans a year.
But now Meyerson is learning to talk again through an approach that trains the undamaged right side of her brain to "speak." Specifically, it's a region that controls singing.
For more than 100 years, it's been known that people who can't speak after injury to the speech centers on the left side of the brain can sing.
In the 1970s, Boston researchers started to use a sort of.....

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Chocolate lovers have fewer strokes, study finds

2011-10-15T10:40:00.000-07:00

Nikola Solic / REUTERS

Chocolates made by Belgian Christine Scholtes Covic are displayed in her Lika Chocolate workshop in the village of Rakovica, in the Croatian region of Lika, some 150 kilometres (93 miles) south of Zagreb January 21, 2011. REUTERS/Nikola Solic

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A sweet tooth isn't necessarily bad for your health-- at least not when it comes to chocolate, hints a new study.

Researchers studying more than 33,000 Swedish women found that the more chocolate women said they ate, the lower their risk of stroke.
The results add to a growing body of evidence linking cocoa consumption to heart health, but they aren't a free pass to gorge on chocolate.
"Given the observational design of the study, findings from this study cannot prove that it's chocolate that lowers the risk of stroke," Susanna Larsson from Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm told Reuters Health in an email.
While she believes chocolate has health benefits, she also warned that eating too much of it could be counterproductive.
"Chocolate should be consumed in moderation as it is high in calories, fat, and sugar," she said. "As dark chocolate contains more cocoa and less sugar than milk chocolate, consumption of dark chocolate would be more beneficial."
http://on.today.com/pK5vwz

Trial Shows Blockbuster Potential for Blood Clot Pill

2011-09-27T10:42:00.000-07:00

An experimental pill to prevent blood clots exceeded already high expectations as a better therapy for millions of people with atrial fibrillation, according to final results of a worldwide study released Sunday.
The study was featured at the European Society of Cardiology in Paris and simultaneously published on the Web site of The New England Journal of Medicine.
“It’s a remarkable achievement,” said Dr. Valentin Fuster, a past president of American and world heart associations, who was not involved with the trial. “This is one of the most significant advances in cardiovascular medicine in the last five years, no question,” Dr. Fuster, chairman of federal and medical panels on atrial fibrillation and director of the heart center at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, said in an interview.....

http://nyti.ms/qeKHAh

Empathy can limit stroke-related frustration

2011-09-27T10:14:00.000-07:00

Imagine your thoughts directing your brain to communicate a desire, idea or command, but your mouth won't speak the words and your hands won't write the correct letters.

Now, if you are born this way, there are methods to teach a baby how to compensate for this handicap.

But, what if, in an instant, you are deprived of the ability to communicate and the world is indifferent to your plight?

This is exactly what happened to my mom. Last July, in the dark loneliness of the night, she suffered a small stroke, which abruptly altered her ability to communicate...... http://bit.ly/ns52rw

Potassium-rich diet tied to lower stroke risk

2011-09-27T10:10:00.000-07:00

(Reuters Health) - People who eat plenty of high-potassium fruits, vegetables and dairy products may be less likely to suffer a stroke than those who get little of the mineral, a new study suggests.
The findings, reported in the journal Stroke, come from an analysis of 10 international studies involving more than 200,000 middle-aged and older adults.
Researchers found that across those studies, stroke risk dipped as people's reported potassium intake went up. For each 1,000-milligram (mg) increase in daily potassium, the odds of suffering a stroke in the next five to 14 years declined by 11 percent.
That would translate into a modest benefit for any one person, the researchers say. And the findings do not prove that potassium, itself, is what produces the positive effect.
But they strengthen existing evidence that it might, said lead researcher Susanna C. Larsson, of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden.
Since high-potassium foods are generally healt.....

http://reut.rs/nVS4rl

Body & Mind - HEALTH Lung Cancer Linked to Risk of Stroke

2011-09-27T09:44:00.000-07:00

Heart ECG

iStock

People recently diagnosed with lung cancer are at higher risk of having a stroke than those without lung tumors, suggests a large new study from Taiwan.

Researchers looking at data covering more than 150,000 adults found that among those with lung cancer, 26 in every 1000 experienced a stroke each year, compared with 17 in 1000 who did not have cancer.

"This is one more telling sign of the long term risk of smoking," said Dr. Andrew Russman, a stroke specialist at the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, who was not part of the study.

The Taiwanese researchers didn't factor in lifestyle issues, such as smoking, drinking or diet, that might influence stroke risk, explained senior author, Dr. Fung-Chang Sung of the China Medical University, to Reuters Health in an email.

Still, they report in the journal Stroke, that stroke risk was highest during the first three months after lung cancer diagnosis for men and during the first four-to-six months for women. Risk decreased in men after one year and after two years in women.

They also found that a less common type of stroke, hemorrhagic stroke, caused by sudden bleeding into the brain, occurred more often among the lung cancer patients than ischemic stroke, which is usually caused by a clot blocking blood flow to brain tissue.

Some evidence suggests that excessive bleeding and blood clots, both of wh

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/09/22/lung-cancer-linked-to-risk-stroke/#ixzz1ZAipi0NF
http://fxn.ws/oHwUbH

George Seldes Recounts Meeting V.I. Lenin

2011-09-26T17:42:00.001-07:00

Depression tied to higher risk for stroke

2011-09-22T19:16:00.000-07:00

People who are depressed are at greater risk for suffering a stroke, a new study indicates.

Having other medical conditions that are also risk factors for stroke, diabetes and high blood pressure could be one of the reasons for the link between depression and stroke.

Hemera Technologies, www.jupiterimages.com

Having other medical conditions that are also risk factors for stroke, diabetes and high blood pressure could be one of the reasons for the link between depression and stroke.

Enlarge

Hemera Technologies, www.jupiterimages.com

Having other medical conditions that are also risk factors for stroke, diabetes and high blood pressure could be one of the reasons for the link between depression and stroke.
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Harvard researchers pointed out that the findings could have a significant impact on public health since stroke is a leading cause of death and permanent disability.

Researchers analyzed 28 previous studies, which involved a total of almost 318,000 people and 8,478 stroke cases. The investigators found that depression was associated with a 45 percent increased risk for stroke and a 55 percent raised risk for fatal stroke.

The study, published in the Sept. 21 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, also .... http://usat.ly/p9gMNF

Study Is Ended as a Stent Fails to Stop Strokes

2011-09-18T17:59:00.000-07:00

A promising but expensive device to prop open blocked arteries in the brain in the hope of preventing disabling or fatal strokes failed in a rigorous study, researchers reported on Wednesday. Those who got the device actually had so many more strokes than those assigned to control risk factors, like blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes, that the study was abruptly terminated.

The Food and Drug Administration approved the device six years ago on the basis of a humanitarian exemption, which did not require solid evidence that it would prevent strokes. Thousands of patients got the devices since then, according to the study’s lead researcher. The finding that the devices actually more than doubled the rate of stroke or death raised serious questions about whether the F.D.A.’s procedures for approving such a medical device ended up putting patients at risk.

http://nyti.ms/nbcYEC

Stroke talk

2011-09-18T17:24:00.000-07:00

Restoring speech and communication after a stroke.

http://bit.ly/q5DHkx

Sharon (not her real name) suffered a stroke. On our first meeting, I remember vividly her body language, which was much more expressive than any sentence she could put together. It displayed total openness, and her eyes said it all – “Can you help me?”

Although she understood all that took place around her, and showed this by her head nods and hand gestures as we spoke, she had significant trouble when she attempted to speak.
Rehabilitation is an essential part of the life of a person living with stroke. This not only applies to motor functioning, but also to speech and language skills.

As with a few of my other patients, without asking, she gestured me to listen to her speak. “Bow (one), bu (two), tatatata (three), orh (four) ,” she counted one to four, raising each functional left finger as she spoke.

She then raised her hands in exasperation, and gestured, “Can you fix this?”

My first thought was, “Here is a remarkable woman, a fighter,” and our journey to recovery began.

Surviving a stroke brings a new facet of life, not only to the stroke survivor, but to their loving caregivers as well.

“Stroke” by definition means “sudden”. It is commonly used in daily language, such as a stroke of luck, a stroke of lightning, and such. It is aptly use by laypersons to depict a cerebral vascular accident (abbreviated as CVA).

A stroke is the sudden death of a portion of the brain due to the lack of oxygen. A stroke occurs when blood flow to the brain is hampered, resulting in abnormal function of the brain. It is caused by blockage or rupture of an artery in the brain.

Sudden are all its changes. A stroke leads to challenges in walking, eating, everyday self-help skills, speaking, communicating, thinking, information processing, judgement, personality change, and much more.

Needless to say, the magnitude of change and the challenges it poses are different for each person, and so is its recovery.

Frightening is often a word that describes the feeling of many.
Encourage the stroke-affected person to maintain his social life. A good social life builds up one’s confidence and motivation to regain speech, language and communication skills.

Recovery after a stroke

After a stroke, some spontaneous recovery takes place for most people. Abilities that may have been lost will begin to return.

This process can take place very quickly over the first few weeks, and then, it may begin to taper off.

This can be a very frustrating time for the stroke survivor as they become aware of their limitations from the stroke.

Often, this is the period where anger or depression can set in.

During this period, and even months after, it is helpful to begin intensive rehabilitation to help with regaining lost skills.

In more recent times, researchers and clinicians have been studying and documenting the evidence of what we now know as brain plasticity (plasticine-ness if there is such a word). Although not fully understood, it is certain now that the brain is able to change, reorganising itself following damage such that the remaining healthy cells of the brain are able to take over jobs that were previously carried out by brain cells which were destroyed.

This means that certain lost functions, such as speech and language, can re-emerge as the result of intensive rehabilitation. One way to do this is to practise your speech, language and thinking skills on a DAILY BASIS.

Speech disorders after a stroke can take the form of dysarthria – commonly referring to speech problems due to weak muscles; dyspraxia – referring to the inability to coordinate and perform speech and oral movements in spite of having no paralysis or muscle damage.

Language deficits are known as aphasia. Aphasia affects all modes of expressive and receptive communication, including speaking, writing, reading, understanding and gesturing.

This can be loosely grouped into either receptive aphasia (understanding skills) or expressive aphasia (expression skills).

Needless to say, this means a myriad of possible combinations of the above challenges.

It is NOT helpful to compare Mr Ahmad to Mr Ali in the hopes of encouraging our loved ones to work hard. Constant, reliable support is a great accompaniment to stroke recovery.

Restoring speech

Speech language pathologists are qualified professionals who can assist your family by assessing, planning, working individually or demonstrating what you can do to help with restoring speech and language skills at home.

In Malaysia, most government hospitals have at least one attending speech language pathologist today.

Others can be found at private hospital set-ups, private centres or home-based visiting clinicians.

Every person can be an element of support and encouragement. Here are a few things to bear in mind:

1. Reassure the person that he/she is still needed and important. Include him/her in family activities and decisions even if the verbal output is minimal.

2. Encourage the person to maintain his social life. A good social life builds up one’s confidence and motivation to regain his/her speech language and communication skills. Invite his/her friends over (with permission) for casual chats.

3. Make speaking a pleasant experience and provide stimulating conversation. Tell him/her what’s been happening, share with him/her no matter what sort of response you get. Ignore errors when possible and avoid criticisms/corrections.

4. Take a calm, friendly, respectful approach when communicating. Remember that you are speaking to an adult.

5. Find a quiet place to talk. If not, minimise or eliminate background noise (such as television, radio, other people).

6. Allow time for the person to understand what you say and to formulate his responses.

In Malaysia, we have a growing prevalence of stroke. It has been reported that six Malaysians experiencing a stroke EVERY hour, and about 52,000 Malaysians suffer a stroke annually.

Act FAST

After countless therapy sessions and the sheer hard work that she put in daily with the support of her loved ones, Sharon now enjoys communication, speaks confidently, and is actively giving back to society in her own way.

Albeit needing more time than others, she is now back on both the mobile and email network, is able to cook, read, and drive herself places (after having her car suitably modified).

If you suspect someone of having a possible stroke, act F.A.S.T.

F – Face: Ask them to smile and see if it’s even.

A – Arms: Ask them to raise both arms and notice if one drops, or can’t be raised equally well.

S – Speech: Ask them to repeat a sentence and note if it’s perfect.

T – Time: Time is off the essence to prevent further damage, so get them to a hospital FAST.

If we have family members or colleagues at work who are at risk of having a stroke from an unhealthy sedentary lifestyle, obesity, smoking, and a failure to control their hypertension, diabetes and high cholesterol, paste this reminder on your fridge or your office billboard. You may just give them a second chance at life.

> Pamela Thomas Joseph is a speech language pathologist and a member of the Malaysian Association of Speech Language & Hearing (MASH). She will be running a workshop for caregivers on September 24, 2011, in Petaling Jaya, Selangor. For details, contact Coreen at 013-3301728 or email her at coreen@trainingtrack.biz.

Authors@Google: Dr. John Ratey

2011-09-18T17:03:00.000-07:00

Psoriasis may increase stroke risk

2011-08-21T11:31:00.000-07:00

Diane Alter – AHN News Trivia Writer

Copengagen, Denmark (AHN) – A new Danish study says psoriasis may increase stroke risk.

A new study published online Aug. 12 in the European Heart Journal found that people who suffer with psoriasis had three times the increased risk of atrial fibrillation, and a 2.8 times increased risk for stroke. The findings add to the growing research linking the skin disorder with heart and vessel problems, including heart attack and cardiovascular disease.

Psoriasis is a skin condition that causes rough, red, itchy, dry and flaky skin. It is a common condition thought to be passed down through families, but is not contagious. It also causes inflammation in the body and may lead a host of other health related problems.

According to the National Psoriasis Foundation, about 7.5 million Americans, or 2.2 percent of the U.S. population, and 12 million people worldwide, suffer with this auto-immune skin disease.

The mother of missing estate agent Suzy Lamplugh has died aged 75

2011-08-21T11:29:00.001-07:00

The mother of an estate agent who disappeared 24 years ago has died after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer’s disease.

Women's safety campaigner Diana Lamplugh OBE, of East Sheen, died in her sleep at the age of 75 yesterday, after suffering her second massive stroke in the past nine years.

Mrs Lamplugh’s daughter Suzy, who was living in Putney at the time of her disappearance, went missing in 1986 after going to meet a client for a house viewing. She was never seen again.

The traumatic event led parents Diana and Paul Lamplugh to establish the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, which made a name for itself as a national charity that championed the importance of personal safety.

Paul Infield, chairman of the charity’s board of trustees, paid tribute to the inspirational mother of four.

He said: “Diana was one of those people who contributed energy, focus and commitment to everything she did.

“With her husband, Paul, she was tireless in establishing, through the trust, the concept of and discipline for personal safety – now a household expression - as a positive life skill for people of all ages and occupations.

“Her message is as relevant today as when she started campaigning following Suzy's disappearance. While she will be sorely missed, the trustees and staff of the Trust are determined that our work will continue to fulfil Diana's vision of improving people’s personal safety.”

Before her illness Diana led the trust in campaigning for changes in law and procedures regarding safer working practices, safer travel in minicabs, and safer travel on trains and safer stations.

She also championed greater safety in car parks, stricter treatment and sentencing of sex offenders, better systems of helping vulnerable young people and victims of crime, protection from stalking and harassment, and changes in the treatment of young offenders.

For more information about the trust visit suzylamplugh.org.

Test for Calcium Buildup May Spot Heart Attack, Stroke Risk Scan may help predict which patients deemed at moderate risk would benefit from statins: study

2011-08-21T11:27:00.000-07:00

THURSDAY, Aug. 18 (HealthDay News) -- A calcium test performed with the assistance of a CT scanner seems to provide insight into the likelihood that certain patients at moderate risk of heart problems will have a heart attack or stroke, researchers say.
Click here to find out more!

The test to detect coronary calcium can help physicians determine whether the patients should take cholesterol-lowering drugs to reduce their cardiovascular risks, the study authors explained.

At issue are people who fall into the middle area between those who are at high risk of heart problems due to factors like high blood pressure and those who are at low risk. People in the so-called "gray zone" may have risk factors, such as being overweight or having high blood sugar levels, but they aren't considered in great danger.

The question is: Should those in the middle range of risk -- an estimated 6 million people in the United States -- be prescribed the anticholesterol drugs known as statins, which often work well but have side effects?

The study, published in the Aug. 19 issue of The Lancet, sought to determine whether a test of calcium in the arteries is more helpful at estimating risk than a blood test that examines levels of C-reactive protein.

The researchers tracked 2,083 people for six years. They found that 13 percent of those with the highest levels of calcium in their arteries had a heart attack or stroke during that time period. But just 2 percent of those with high levels of C-reactive protein -- and no calcium buildup -- had a heart attack or stroke.

Not everyone needs a calcium test, said lead study author Dr. Michael J. Blaha, a cardiology fellow at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. However, he stated in a Hopkins news release, "we believe looking for calcification in coronary vessels in certain patients makes sense in order to predict who may benefit from statin therapy, because the test gets right to the heart of the disease we want to treat."

"Our data support recent American Heart Association guidelines, which say it is reasonable to order a coronary calcium scan for adults who are considered to be at intermediate risk of a heart attack over the next 10 years. A high coronary calcium score would indicate that statin therapy would likely be a useful strategy to lower that person's cardiovascular risk," study co-investigator Dr. Roger Blumenthal, director of the Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease at Johns Hopkins University, said in the news release.

Commenting on the study, cardiologist Dr. Vijay Nambi, an assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine, said that most insurance companies don't cover the calcium tests, which cost in the range of $200-$400. "Sometimes people have to pay for it out of pocket," said Nambi, who thinks it's a useful test. "It helps physicians in a lot of respects."

Test results can also help patients make decisions when they're worried about taking anticholesterol drugs, Nambi added. http://bit.ly/q8MtPP

Memory Problems May Be Sign of Stroke Risk

2011-04-17T18:19:00.000-07:00

Memory Problems May Be Sign of Stroke Risk

TEHRAN (FNA)- Findings of a new study showed that people who have memory problems or other declines in their mental abilities may be at higher risk for stroke.

The study is scheduled to be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 63rd Annual Meeting in Honolulu April 9 to April 16, 2011.

"Finding ways to prevent stroke and identify people at risk for stroke are important public health problems," said study author Abraham J. Letter of the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

"This study shows we might get a better idea of who is at high risk of stroke by including a couple simple tests when we are evaluating people who already have some stroke risk," Letter added.

For the study, researchers gave tests to people age 45 and older who had never had a stroke, then contacted them twice a year by phone for up to 4.5 years to determine whether they had suffered a stroke.

The average age of the participants was 67. Strokes were then confirmed by medical records. A total of 14,842 people took a verbal fluency test, measuring the brain's executive functioning skills, and 17,851 people took a word recall memory test.

The study was part of a larger study called the REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study. During the study, 123 participants who had taken the verbal fluency test and 129 participants who had taken the memory test experienced a stroke.

Those who scored in the bottom 20 percent for verbal fluency were 3.6 times more likely to develop a stroke than those who scored in the top 20 percent. For the memory test, those who scored in the bottom 20 percent were 3.5 times more likely to have a stroke than those in the top 20 percent.

The difference in stroke incidence rates between those with the bottom and top 20 percent of scores was 3.3 strokes per thousand person-years. In general, the differences remained after researchers adjusted for age, education, race and where participants lived.

At age 50, those who scored in the bottom 20 percent of the memory test were 9.4 times more likely to later have a stroke than those in the top 20 percent, but the difference was not as large at older ages. more read...

Fighting heart disease and stroke

2011-04-17T17:44:00.000-07:00

Liverpool, NY (WSYR-TV) The American Heart Association held its annual Heart Walk Saturday at Long Branch Park in Liverpool.

The walk raises money for lifesaving research, programs and education, while celebrating survivors of heart attack, heart surgery and stroke.

About 5,000 people took up the cause.

"Well it's encouraging to see this and there is certainly a need for this kind of event to support the cause and to make sure this is top most in people's minds,” said AHA volunteer James Jerose.

Klein could live with dementia for years, says exper

2011-04-17T17:20:00.000-07:00

Klein could live with dementia for years, says expert

By DAVE DORMER, Calgary Sun

Last Updated: April 8, 2011 5:37pm

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Click here to watch the video: Former Alberta Premier Ralph Klein is suffering from a form of frontal temporal dementia.; Play Video

Mobile app MyVoice reportedly benefits people with communication challenges

2011-04-17T17:18:00.000-07:00

Individuals facing communication challenges due to aphasia or autism can look forward towards the latest offering. University of Toronto scientists have now introduced a mobile app named MyVoice for those living with aphasia, autism and other conditions that affect speech ability. Also a server system has been created that operates on iPhone and Android devices.The novel app enables users to communicate by simply tapping words and pictures on a screen. Scientists have developed MyVoice to seemingly improve communication confidence, participation and independence. This assistive and augmentative communication device brings in location-aware vocabulary that suggests useful words and phrases based on a user’s location.
“This is an excellent example of how university research makes a direct and positive impact on the challenges that face people around the world. MyVoice is just one of the many projects our Innovations and Partnerships Office is developing with U of T faculty so we can move our brilliant research from our campuses to the global marketplace,” Professor Paul Young, vice-president (research).

The app instantly generates items like ‘Timbits’ and ‘Double Double’ for use in conversation. It comes with an average price tag of $12,000 and the full featured version for a $30 monthly subscription cost. The device is currently employed at a school in the Toronto District School Board.
The mobile app MyVoice is funded by Google, Android and more read...

Sweet Tweets for Ralph Klein

2011-04-17T16:56:00.000-07:00

Sweet Tweets for Ralph Klein

Calgary Herald April 10, 2011

* Story
* Photos ( 1 )

Former Alberta Premier Ralph Klein and his wife Colleen relax at their Calgary home, April 7, 2011. He has been diagnosed with progressive non-fluent aphasia, which is a type of dementia.

Former Alberta Premier Ralph Klein and his wife Colleen relax at their Calgary home, April 7, 2011. He has been diagnosed with progressive non-fluent aphasia, which is a type of dementia.
Photograph by: Don Braid, Postmedia News

Earlier this week we learned that former premier Ralph Klein has been diagnosed with "frontal temporal dementia, consistent with primary progressive aphasia." Tweeters from all over the world showed their support for the ex-premier.

Here's what some had to say:

~ Best wishes to Ralph Klein. Very sad news. "I now begin the journey that will lead me into the sunset of my life." - Ronald Reagan.

~ Best wishes to Ralph Klein & his family.

~ Ralph Klein: We may not agree w/ his politics, but his wit (e.g. McGuinty's premature speculation) will B missed

~ Ralph Klein is extremely worthy of our respect, politics aside. He strived for his province, something we all would do as Premier

~ Loved this guy when I lived in Calgary in the 80's

~ Sad to hear Ralph Klein is battling dementia; stealing his voice, one that we may not of always agreed with, but one that was strong & clear

~ Thoughts and prayers going out to Ralph Klein. He may have been controversial, but I have nothing but respect for the guy.

~ I read the story about Ralph Klein and one of the things that made me saddest is that he was a voracious reader who can no longer read. : (

~ Sad to see that we're losing one of Alberta's strongest voices

Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/health/Sweet+Tweets+Ralph+Klein/4590371/story.html#ixzz1JpNua7pv

Innovative Medical Technologies Help to Rehabilitate Patients’ Mental and Physical Abilities

2011-04-17T13:23:00.000-07:00

Employing approaches that include computer gaming methods, virtual reality and robotics, New Zealand researchers are at the forefront of developing new medical technologies that help patients regain cognitive and physical abilities following stroke, trauma or other debilitating illness.
“We are today seeing the emergence of diverse scientific efforts throughout New Zealand’s research institutions and companies that are generating innovative new technologies and products directed at helping those recovering from serious injuries or illness more fully participate in daily life,” said George Arnold, Program Manager, Health, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise. “Many of these advances are resulting from the effective convergence of computer science and medical technology.”
For example, a computer game-like system developed by scientists at New Zealand’s Crown Research Institute, Industrial Research Limited (IRL), and licensed to start-up company, Im-Able Ltd., uses a handlebar-like air mouse and a series of simple computer exercises to improve arm movements, coordination and cognitive skills of patients with neurological or musculoskeletal impairment. “Patient feedback to date has been beyond our expectations, with patients reporting gains in function from use of the Able-X device, even many years after their stroke injury,” said Sunil Vather, Ph.D., Chief Executive of Im-Able. “An affordable product designed for easy use at home, the Able-X allows patients to continue their rehabilitation in their own time and speed once they have left the hospital or rehabilitation facility.” Already commercially available in New Zealand and Australia, Dr. Vather noted that the company planned to seek both U.S. FDA approval and a European CE Mark for the product during 2011.
Research at the University of Canterbury under a program led by Professor Tanja Mitrovic is aimed at extending 16 years of research advances in the field of artificial intelligence and computer-based learning to helping patients improve their cognitive skills following a stroke. “We hope to use the knowledge we’ve gained in creating responsive computer-based learning environments for students at the university and high school level, to develop systems that can evaluate an individual stroke patient’s skills and respond with appropriately challenging tasks that help improve their attention and working memory,” said Prof. Mitrovic. The multi-disciplinary research effort, which includes collaboration with Dr. Stellan Ohlsson, Professor of Psychology at the University of Illinois, Chicago, is supported by a prestigious Marsden Fund grant for fundamental scientific research from the Royal Society of New Zealand.
Advances in robotics are also helping wheelchair users to increase their mobility and ability to overcome barriers in daily life, as illustrated by Rex, the robotic exoskeleton. Designed and built in New Zealand by Rex Bionics, Rex is not a replacement for the wheelchair, but it enables people who cannot walk because of spinal cord injury or with chronic physical conditions such as muscular dystrophy to stand, walk, turn, and climb stairs and slopes. “Rex enables users to stand and socialize or work, and to overcome many day-to-day obstacles like climbing a few steps into a building or using a standard kitchen,” said Jenny Morel, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Rex Bionics. “In addition, there are well documented medical benefits associated with standing and walking, such as improved circulation and bone density, better skin condition, fewer bladder infections and pressure sores that can come with extensive wheelchair use.”
“I’ve found the New Zealand medical technology sector’s creativity and desire to explore and innovate to be extremely exciting,” says Professor Jonathan Sackier of the University of Virginia, who has played a significant role in the development of many medical technologies and serves as a director to Rex Bionics. “A surprisingly large number of innovative medical products with the potential to significantly help those whose lives are affected by injury or chronic illness are coming out of this small country.” more read....

Finding the Words: New Brain Stimulation Technique Shows Promise for People with Aphasia

2011-04-09T15:59:00.000-07:00

A stroke, the medical term for when blood and nutrients are cut off from the brain, can have a devastating effect on a person’s ability to communicate. Words that once came naturally for even simple objects before the stroke—such as a chair, a pen, or an apple—are suddenly difficult if not impossible to retrieve. Although some people may recover their language skills in time, for others, the effects can be chronically debilitating.
Such differences in patient outcomes have scientists from the University of South Carolina delving deeper into this language disorder—called aphasia—which results when language centers of the brain are damaged by stroke, head injury, or other causes. In new NIDCD-funded research, they’ve demonstrated not only how important the location of the brain damage is in predicting how well a person will respond to aphasia therapy, they are also investigating a new method for stimulating brain-damaged regions in people with aphasia, in hopes of increasing brain plasticity and perhaps improving word recall.
In research published in the September 15, 2010, issue of the Journal of Neuroscience, Julius Fridriksson, Ph.D., studied 26 patients who experienced chronic aphasia after suffering a stroke that damaged the brain’s left hemisphere, where the language centers are found. He wanted to observe whether treating patients for anomia, an impairment associated with aphasia in which a person has difficulty naming certain objects, can help increase neural activity in key regions of the brain. (Although there are several types of aphasia and each has a variety of symptoms, anomia is a symptom that all people with aphasia have in common.) He also wanted to learn if damage to certain regions of the brain had a particularly negative effect on the successfulness of a patient’s treatment. more read...

Using light to probe the brain's self-repair after a stroke

2011-04-09T15:57:00.000-07:00

A revolutionary new technique is allowing Canadian researchers to map, with exquisite precision, how the brain repairs itself after a stroke.
Optogenetics gives neuroscientists the ability to control brain circuits in laboratory animals with lasers, to turn cells on or off with a flash of light. It offers a new way to probe what different parts of the brain do and could lead to new treatments for a variety of neurological conditions.

More related to this story

At the Brain Research Centre in British Columbia, Tim Murphy and his colleagues are using it to learn more about the critical period after a stroke. He and his team can chart how, in a mouse, damaged circuitry that once controlled movement of the right front paw is replaced with new wiring, in a different location, that does the same thing.
“There is actual sprouting of connections and structural rearrangements,” said Dr. Murphy. He can figure out the function of new circuitry by turning it on or off and watching how that affects an animal’s ability to move.
Optogenetics – using a combination of genetics and optics to control cells – was developed in 2005 by Stanford University psychiatrist and bioengineer Karl Deisseroth and his colleagues. Neuroscientists in hundreds of labs around the world are now using it to investigate the neural circuitry involved in mental illnesses like depression and anxiety and to solve long-standing mysteries about the function of different types of brain cells.
Dr. Deisseroth’s team took copies of one of the genes that make green algae extremely responsive to light and inserted them into the DNA of brain cells in a Petri dish. The scientists were then able to get the neurons to fire, or produce an electrical signal, with a pulse of blue light.
Next, researchers were able to insert the gene, essentially a new on-off switch, into the brain cells of living mice. They can activate these cells with laser light guided into the brain with a fibre-optic cable and have been able to make mice move their paws or run around in a circle.
It is similar to the technique used by Wilder Penfield in the 1930s, when he mapped the sensory and motor parts of the brain while performing surgery on patients with epilepsy. He would touch part of a patient’s brain with an electric probe – turning cells on – and ask where it triggered a sensation in their body.
But using light rather than an electric probe to turn on brain cells is faster and far more precise and allows scientists to zero in on fine circuitry. In the future, the technique could be used in humans, says Dr. Murphy, but the challenge will be to transfer genes from algae into human brains.
Meanwhile, at the University of Alberta, Gregory Funkis using optogenetics to study how the brain controls breathing rhythm in hopes of helping premature babies, who often stop breathing.
At the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, Kenichi Okamoto is working on what has been described as the next generation of optogenetics. He is using lasers to activate specific proteins in the brains of mice to determine which ones are involved in memory and learning. He will also investigate the role these proteins may play in Alzheimer’s disease and autism.
In Dr. Murphy’s lab, the focus is on stroke, and how to promote and capitalize on the brain’s natural recovery process. Brain cells and circuitry die when they are suddenly cut off from the blood supply during a stroke, but in the days and weeks afterwards new connections form.
The team is mapping the parts of the brain that take on new functions. Usually, this occurs in areas adjacent to damaged neural pathways, but sometimes it is in the corresponding region in the other hemisphere of the brain.
“Is there a way we could stimulate those areas to promote this plasticity?” asked Dr. Murphy, a member of the University of British Columbia’s department of psychiatry.
Researchers have already shown that they can help stroke patients overcome some kinds of brain damage with transcranial magnetic stimulation, which uses repetitive, precise magnetic signals delivered through the skull to either fire brain cells up or calm them down.
It is similar to using light to stimulate cells, says Dr. Murphy. He wants to test if particular patterns of stimulation are more effective in promoting the formation of new connections between brain cells.
He recently was awarded $947,000 over five years from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research for his optogenetics research and is also funded by the Canadian Stroke Network and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of British Columbia and Yukon.
“It is going to be an incredible tool,” Dr. Murphy said. “It is an entirely new aspect of neuroscience.”
.......
Brain storm
50,000 strokes occur in Canada each year. That’s one every 10 minutes.
15 per cent of people who have a stroke die from it.
10 per cent recover completely.
25 per cent recover with a minor impairment or disability.
40 per cent are left with a moderate to severe impairment.
10 per cent are so severely disabled they require long-term care.
300,000 Canadians are living with the effects of stroke.
80 per cent of strokes are caused by the interruption of blood flow to the brain due to a blood clot.
20 per cent are caused by uncontrolled bleeding in the brain.
1.9 million: The number of brain cells the average patient loses for every minute of delay in treating a stroke.
$3.6-billion: What strokes cost the Canadian economy every year.
Source: Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada

more read....

Stroke Awareness Resource Center May is National Stroke Awareness Month

2011-04-09T15:27:00.000-07:00

Introducing the
Stroke Awareness Resource Center

Welcome! Learn how to raise stroke awareness during National Stroke Awareness Month in May and throughout the year. Public knowlege of stroke is low. It is time for stroke champions to band together and elevate stroke in the mindset of everyone in the U.S. Simple prevention and treatment education can help reduce stroke incidence. Influence loved ones to adopt healthier lifestyles and decision-makers to advocate for stroke by sharing personal stories. Explore the Resource Center and make stroke your cause today. More read.........

BrainGate Turning Thought into Action

2011-03-27T19:56:00.000-07:00

Communication

For people with locked-in syndrome - the inability to move and to speak despite being fully awake and alert (for example, due to brainstem injury or ALS) - restoration of easy communication is a priority. Our research team is developing technologies that would re-enable the ability to control a cursor on a computer screen or to type on a virtual keyboard, simply by thinking about the movement of one's own hand (for example, as if controlling a computer mouse). Initial progress toward this can be seen at:

Brain Waves Harnessed To Play Music

2011-03-27T19:37:00.000-07:00

Using the power of the brain has long been a science fiction staple. Eduardo Miranda, composer and computer-music teacher, has created a system where someone can play music with their mind. The brain-computer interface tracks and picks up neural impulses from your brains and translates them into musical notes. The type of technology is not entirely new as other types of brain-computer interfaces let people control prosthetic limbs and even type on a computer with their thoughts.

To use the system you have to don an EEG skull cap and concentrate on four “buttons” on a screen. When a user focuses on a button, their brain fires of a unique series of impulses specific to each button and those impulses are captured by the skull cap. A series of notes is played for each respective button. Since this type of interface is not intrinsically known, calibration is needed for each user. It takes a user with locked-in syndrome, a paralysis of the entire body except the eyes, about two hours to calibrate the system during trials at the University of Essex.
Miranda came up with the idea of using brain waves to make music over ten years ago and now its getting closer to fruition. He realized that this type of device would have a large impact in music therapy. He is hoping to develop and refine the system so that it doesn’t take so long to calibrate. In the future the device will use algorithms to predict which notes the user wants to play.
[via Discovery]
more read....

Doonesbury

2011-03-22T18:00:00.001-07:00

Toggle (real name Leo DeLuca) - a veteran of the Iraq war. Toggle, a young heavy metal fan, was wounded in an ambush while serving as Ray Hightower's driver, and has returned home with expressive aphasia and a loss of sight in one eye. B.D., his former commanding officer, often checks in to see how he is doing. While recovering from his injuries, Toggle met Alex Doonesbury through B.D. and has become her boyfriend. He has considered attending Walden under the new GI Bill but came away from Zipper's tour unimpressed.

Doonesbury Characters In Starbucks Again With People Open Carrying Guns

Doonesbury decides to revisit the Starbucks open carry topic in another useless strip:

Doonesbury – Source
Yahoos… Morons… loudmouth gun owners? The tone hasn’t really changed… Holy his comics are boring.

* Technology * Designs * Ethonomics * Leadership Magazine Community Jobs Thinking Cap: "Mynd" Is the First Dry, iPhone-Compatible, Portable Brain Scanner

2011-03-22T06:41:00.000-07:00

Thinking Cap: "Mynd" Is the First Dry, iPhone-Compatible, Portable Brain Scanner

BY David ZaxMon Mar 21, 2011

Neuromarketing goes mobile with this lightweight, dry, and iPhone- or iPad-compatible new device from NeuroFocus. DiY brain researchers rejoice!

NeuroFocus, a firm that brings brain research to marketing, today unveiled what it deems “the first dry, wireless headset designed to capture brainwave activity across the full brain.” The device, three years in the making, debuted at the 75th Annual Advertising Research Foundation conference in New York.
What is “neuromarketing,” the odd corner of marketing research NeuroFocus has staked out for itself? Broadly speaking, neuromarketers measure how the brain and body react to certain stimuli, then extrapolate from that information whether an advertisement, brand, product, or package is having its desired effect. Neuromarketers reportedly had a hand in the 2010 midterm elections, with several consulting for Republican candidates. Neurological research has also been used to help market movies. Recently, Fast Company also explored whether these firms might have a hand in making the movies themselves.
NeuroFocus’s new device, which it calls “Mynd,” has a few key features. It claims to get “full-brain coverage with dense-arrray EEG” sensors, yielding data “within seconds” of switching the device on. It can also network with any Bluetooth-enabled mobile device, like an iPhone or iPad. Unlike other EEG devices you may be familiar with, Mynd doesn’t need to use gel (that’s what’s meant by calling the device “dry”). And since the device isn’t too heavy itself, and can be linked to a wireless device, that basically makes it a mobile brain scanner. (See our earlier take on a “wearable” PET scanner for rats, here.) NeuroFocus envisions research panels conducted at home with the device; its CEO Dr. A.K. Pradeep tells Fast Company those might happen within the next eight months.
The Mynd device is enough of an advance that medical brain researchers are taking an interest in it. The European Tools for Brain-Computer Interaction Consortium, or TOBI, will use Mynd as its “core platform” to develop technology that could help people with neurological disabilities; NeuroFocus says it's donating several devices to the consortium. NeuroFocus advisor and UC Berkeley professor Dr. Robert Knight helped facilitate the contact at TOBI, which is led in part by Professor José del R. Millán, a researcher at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology who has pioneered a number of novel brain-computer interfaces (including one featured in this slideshow on the new “thoughtpads,” from last fall). In the words of Dr. Gerwin Schalk, a research scientist in neural injury and repair at the Wadsworth Center, a New York State public health laboratory, Mynd’s real innovation is in taking brain research from being bulky and expensive to something potentially lightweight and on-the-fly: “This wireless dry electrode headset substantially reduces the cost and expertise necessary to access signals from the brain, which has profound implications for clinical and commercial applications of EEG technology,” he said in a statement.
NeuroFocus CEO Dr. A.K. Pradeep tells Fast Company he was especially excited to be contributing to science: “I run a marketing company, and I know we’ve taken so much from science. It’s kind of cute and funny to give back to science. The headsets we design are now actually going to be used by people in wheelchairs to control those wheelchairs. It’s really a fascinating moment.”
NeuroFocus is expected to roll out the device in labs all over the world shortly; the device is not for sale commercially however, and Pradeep declines to say how much each one costs.
Follow Fast Company on Twitter.
[Images: NeuroFocus]

more read ...

Write letters in only 35 hours with brain speller

2011-03-04T16:26:00.000-08:00

King Speech's and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

2011-03-02T19:21:00.000-08:00

Kudos, for the "King's Speech". I did not watch the "King Speech" but another film that is Amazing is "The Diving Bell and The Butterfly". Watch the film and give my your opinion.
Cheers

Learning About Aphasia

2011-02-27T14:13:00.000-08:00

Charlotte, NC: Losing the ability to communicate is devastating for a person with a job dependent on talking. The video of KCBS-TV reporter Serene Branson slurring her words during a live Grammy broadcast went viral. Her doctors have determined that she suffered a migraine which caused her speech problems. The video has raised interest in sudden speech loss. FNR's Anna Kooiman talks with Carl McIntyre, a local actor suffering from aphasia and Chuck Bludsworth, a producer working on a movie about the illness.

More...

Pediatric Stroke: Impacts as many Children as Leukemia & Brain Tumors

2011-02-21T14:02:00.000-08:00

Barry Carpenter The 33 News

February 16, 2011

kdaf-pediatric-stroke-story

DALLAS —

"Boom," Dr. Michael Downing said while pointing at an MRI scan. "That white spot is a stroke."

Alma Rodriguez listened as Dr. Dowling explained what happened to her 16-year old son Danny.

Two weeks ago Danny was playing his favorite sport when suddenly he felt something was wrong.

"I was playing baseball and all of the sudden I felt really dizzy," Danny said. "I started vomiting and my head hurt."

That was in El Paso where he suffered a stroke--he was flown to Children's Medical Center in Dallas--Alma still can't believe her son suffered not one, but two strokes.

"I was very, very surprised because I was like, he was very healthy and he has a lot of condition," Alma said. "I was surprised, very very surprised."

Dr. Dowling is the director of Children's Medical Center's Pediatric Stroke Program where he see's about 100 young stroke patients a year.

In about six months Children's will take part in a nationwide study to test the clot busting drug 'tissue plasminogen activator' or tPA.

It works in adults and doctors want to see if it's safe for kids--and if so--establish a proper dosage. The drug has to be used within 4 ? hours of a stroke.

Pediatric stroke can lead to a lifetime of physical disabilities--including speech difficulties, learning problems and even death.

Dr. Dowling wants to know why kids suffer strokes.

"The death rate from stroke in children is somewhere between five and ten percent," Dr. Dowling said. "Another 70% of children who have stroke are left with some neurologic damage."

Dr. Dowling believes a heart infection may have caused Danny's stroke--clots formed--broke off and then blocked blood flow to the brain.

The drug study may help the next Danny who has a stroke.

"Our goal is to decrease the mortality rate, to decrease the level of neurologic injury in all of these kids," Dr. Dowling said.

Danny will be on blood thinners for six months and is expected to lead a perfectly normal life which includes baseball.

Next....

Fluent dysphasia -(part 2)Classic irish language short film

2011-02-19T21:29:00.001-08:00

'Thinking cap' makes brain waves in Australia

2011-02-19T19:06:00.000-08:00

Professor Allan Snyder, left, and PhD student Richard Chi, right, display their "thinking cap" on a glass head at the University of Sydney. Photo: AFP

Scientists in Australia say they are encouraged by initial results of a revolutionary "thinking cap" that aims to promote creativity by passing low levels of electricity through the brain.

The device, which consists of two conductors fastened to the head by a rubber strap, boosted results significantly in a simple arithmetic test, they said.

Three times as many people who wore the "thinking cap" were able to complete the test, compared with those who did not use the equipment. Sixty people took part.

Allan Snyder, director of the University of Sydney's Centre for the Mind, said the device worked by suppressing the left side of the brain, associated with knowledge, and stimulating the right side, linked to creativity.

"You wouldn't use this to study or to help your memory," Professor Snyder said. "You would use this if you wanted to look at a problem anew.

"If you wanted to look at the world, just briefly, with a child's view, if you wanted to look outside the box."

He said the goal was to suppress mental templates gathered through life experiences to help users see problems and situations as they really appear, rather than through the prism of earlier knowledge.

Professor Snyder added that the work was inspired by accident victims who experienced a sudden surge in creativity after damaging the left side of their brains.

"We know that from certain types of brain damage and abnormalities or injuries, people who suddenly have damage to the left temporal lobe will burst out in the arts or other types of creative activities," he said.

Professor Snyder said the device had been in use by scientists for a decade, but this was the first study into how current passing through the brain could amplify insight.

He said the "thinking cap" had potential applications in the arts and problem-solving, although the science remained in its infancy.

"The dream is that one day we may be able to stimulate the brain in a particular way to give you, just momentarily, an unfiltered view of the world," Professor Snyder said.
AFP
Next.....

For the real robot uprising, look to the disabled

2011-02-15T15:30:00.000-08:00

Robotic augmentation suits like Raytheon’s cleverly marketed XOS-2 (”It’s a real-life Iron Man!”) grab headlines because, well, they’re pretty cool. But they’re also military-grade science experiments, many years from deployment and hardly intended for civilian use. Meanwhile, researchers around the world are designing robo-suits for an entirely different purpose: to help those that can’t walk, walk. Next...

Inside a brain injury recovery

2011-02-13T19:48:00.000-08:00

(CNN) -- From a rehabilitation center in New York, Emilie Gossiaux has been planning her next art project, which she will probably never see. She's thinking it will involve constructing a chair out of wood and then covering it in multicolored clay to turn it into a completely different shape.
"I've been thinking the best way to work is to work with my hands," said Gossiaux, who lost her vision after being struck by an 18-wheeler on October 8. As a result of the accident, she had a stroke and a traumatic brain injury; her leg, head and pelvis were fractured.
As U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords begins her journey to start rehabilitation in Houston on Friday, this aspiring artist is checking out of her own inpatient recovery program.
Although Giffords' brain injury results from a bullet wound, Gossiaux's boyfriend, Alan Lundgard, sees many parallels between the women in their initial stages after injury, including responsiveness to touch. And like Giffords, Gossiaux is surrounded by people who care about her. Lundgard has spent nearly every night with her.
"It's that family link, that family love, that family support -- they've all said, all the medical staff have said -- that really promotes the healing and the rehabilitation, which is very painful and very hard," Emilie's mother, Susan Gossiaux, said.

Next..............

Can We Download Our Brains?

2011-02-13T08:35:00.000-08:00

King George VI Didn’t Have Aphasia…

2011-02-13T07:06:00.000-08:00

The Kings Speech Poster

… yet, I think “The King’s Speech” movie definitely deserves to be mentioned on the Aphasia Corner Blog. I saw this movie a few days ago — it was one of the best movies I’ve seen in a while. The movie captures intricacies of the relationship between the patient and the therapist in an amazing way.

Here is the synopsis of the movie:

After the death of his father King George V (Michael Gambon) and the scandalous....
NEXT...............

Stroke victim Nadine gets her voice back, thanks to an iPod Touch

2010-11-16T17:12:00.000-08:00

A stroke sufferer who was left with severe communication problems has discovered she can make herself heard through an iPod Touch.

After suffering a major stroke as a result of a head injury two years ago, 38-year-old Nadine Howsam is using her communication support worker's iPod Touch to make herself heard.

Nora Moffat, who works for the Stroke Association in Lincolnshire, said there were two apps available on both the iPod Touch and the iPhone that can aid communication.

And she is teaching Mrs Howsam, who only has partial use of her right-hand side, to utilise the apps so she can ask for items in a shop and make conversation with people.

One of the apps consists of a set of catalogue cards with phrases including "I've had a stroke", "good morning" and "I would like a coffee".

And the iPod Touch can be prompted to "speak" these phrases out loud. Another app can store pre-written phrases onto the iPod Touch to be spoken by the device.

Mrs Howsam, who lives at Blenheim Care Centre in Hemswell near Gainsborough, was an avid reader prior to her stroke, but is now unable to read long stretches of text. However, she can now keep up with her favourite authors by listening to audio books on the iPod Touch....NEXT

Brain Line

2010-11-15T14:59:00.000-08:00

What happens when the brain is injured?

Animated Deceleration Injury from a Traumatic Brain Injury
TBI Inform: Introduction to Brain Injury

What Happens When a Brain Bleeds?

Areas of the Brain Affected by Concussion
What is Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy?
Concussion Recovery

Perspectives: Ellayne Ganzfried, Executive Director of The National Aphasia Association November 3rd, 2010

2010-11-15T10:53:00.000-08:00

(As promised, we return to our look at the condition called Aphasia in a conversation with Ellayne Ganzfried of the National Aphasia Association.)
Ellayne Ganzfried wanted to be a teacher, but a hiring freeze in New York steered life in a completely unexpected direction. Ganzfried, Executive Director of the NAA , has had a lot of unexpected surprises along her career path, all leading to work she loves—helping raise awareness for people with aphasia.
Forced to explore options other than teaching, nothing stood out until a counselor made her a proposition. “The college I attended in Brooklyn, attempting to correct the local accent, required a speech screening to decide if a student should take classes in public speaking…after I read the passage my advisor asked my major, which I hadn’t decided. She promised to exempt me from the public speaking class if I took a course in speech-language pathology. I told her she had a deal, and once I started taking the classes I fell in love with it.”...NEXT

Pembroke man has miracle brain injury recovery, but now faces rape trial

2010-08-16T19:14:00.000-07:00

By Jennifer Mann

The Patriot Ledger

Posted Jul 21, 2010 @ 07:38 AM

PEMBROKE —

Brain injuries from a boat accident left Sean Ebert unable to walk, talk or feed himself. That was 15 years ago, when the 10-year-old from Pembroke arrived at Boston City Hospital with a fractured skull and a broken collarbone, in severe shock and bleeding from both ears.
Doctors had to induce a coma, and for several heart-wrenching days, his family waited. Then Ebert awoke.
What followed over the next year was what many called a miraculous recovery, chronicled by The Patriot Ledger at the time. Ebert regained control of his body and returned to school....next

Quantcast advertisement Home : News : Region Martin County : Rob Gangi returns home following accident

2010-08-16T12:22:00.000-07:00

Rob Gangi has a full calendar these days.
There are the concerts with his son, Nicholas, the lunches with friends and possibly a skydiving trip sometime in his future.
Gangi also has plenty of work ahead of him as a volunteer with Honor Flight. The organization flies veterans to Washington D.C. to visit their war memorials.
Just eight months ago, doctors weren't sure Gangi would even live, much less lead a full life.
On December 26, Gangi was riding a Ripstick, which is similar to a skateboard, at his parents' house in North Carolina.
Gangi fell, hitting his head so hard doctors weren't sure he'd survive.
His neurologist said if Gangi did survive, he'd probably never walk or talk again...Next

Human meridian

2010-08-16T12:05:00.000-07:00

2010年8月10日星期二

ACUPUNCTURE COMBINED WITH LANGUAGE TRANING FOR TREATMENT OF MOTOR APHASIA CAUSED BY ISCHEMIC APPLEXY

With aging of people in the society and the tendency of the onset of erebrovascular disease(CVD)becoming earlier in age，the incidence of CVDis increasing year after year．In addition to sensory and motor dysfunction of extremities，speech disorder is one of the complications of CVDfrequently encountered．Domestic evidence has shown that 25 of the patients suffering fromCVDare complicated with speech disorder，including aphasia，dysarthria，apraxia of speech，among which motor aphasia is mostly..next

Symptoms of Child Aphasia

2010-08-16T11:37:00.000-07:00

Aphasia occurs after some parts of the brain responsible for language are damaged. In most cases, this damage involves the left side of the brain. This results in impairment in language production or understanding and can affect both written and spoken language. A person is not born with aphasia. Usually, this disorder occurs suddenly as a result of a head injury, but can also happen slowly in patients with brain tumors or as a result of an infection, such as encephalitis. Most aphasia patients are middle aged or older, but anyone can get this disorder including children. The younger the patient, the better the prognosis after aphasia typically is. The symptoms of aphasia vary significantly depending on the size and location of the damage inflicted on the brain.

Trouble Understanding Speech

The main problem many aphasia patients have is that they do not understand spoken or written language. Typically, in these situations, the person suffers from fluent aphasia, which is also called Wernicke's aphasia. It is usually caused by damage to the left temporal lobe. The speech of a patient may have no meaning as she adds unnecessary words to her sentences and often comes up with made-up words. Typically, a child is not aware of his difficulties and may.....Next

Words Are More Like Cats Than Dogs

2010-08-16T11:22:00.000-07:00

Aphasia is an acquired communications disorder usually as a result of a stroke or a brain injury. It strikes approximately 100,000 Americans each year. It is more prevalent than Parkinson’s disease, but fewer people are aware of it, and fewer still familiar with it. It affects different people differently.

In my case, I have difficulty in remembering words on call, and in following arguments and directions, especially verbally. I need to see something in writing to be able to digest it slowly. For someone whose life revolved around the use of words and arguments this has been difficult. The following essay is my attempt to describe what it’s like trying to work with words and arguments suffering with a mild...next

Nancy Helm-Estabrooks, Sc.D

2010-08-16T11:18:00.001-07:00

Coma Victim's Language Ability Explained

2010-04-24T14:09:00.000-07:00

THE GIST:

* A coma left a teenager only able to speak a language that she had just begun to learn.
* Different parts of the brain become involved when a person learns a second language.
* There is still a lot we don't know about language in the brain.

After 24 hours in a coma, a Croatian girl woke up speaking only German, according to reports that spread across the Internet last week. The 13-year-old had been studying German in school and watching German television shows on her own, according to various versions of the story, but she was not fluent until after the incident. Meanwhile, she lost the ability to speak her native language. Next.....

Girl Wakes from Coma Speaking Different Language

2010-04-24T14:06:00.000-07:00

A 13 year old girl wakens from a 24 hour coma speaking a different language. The girl is Croatian and instead of speaking her native language, she awoke speaking German. She had been studying German, but was not fluent in German, but when she awoke, she could only speak German.
What is not clear is how much and how well she could speak German, her new language, but interestingly, she could not speak her own Croatian.......Next

Former major league pitcher appreciates family after tumor

2010-03-14T15:30:00.000-07:00

The tumor and seizure also affected Ricky’s memory and speech, resulting in a condition known as aphasia, where he knows what he wants to say but just can’t get the words to come out. And he wasn’t allowed to drive for six months, which really made things rough with Tracey teaching prekindergarten three mornings a week and going to class to earn her master’s degree two nights a week. Plus, there were the speech therapy classes three days a week and three-day trips to Houston every other month. Next...

A smile unbroken

2010-03-14T15:17:00.000-07:00

"I'm good. It's just speech," said Steufon, sitting on a chair in his home. "I have ... it's called aphasia."

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Aphasia, his mother explained, is a medical term for when a person knows what they want to say in their mind, but have trouble signaling the message from their brain to their tongue. Speech therapy is helping Steufon mitigate the condition.

On the night of last year's shooting, Steufon was in his second-story bedroom when he heard gunshots somewhere not too far from his Belletini Court home. He approached his window to see where the commotion might be coming from when a stray bullet smashed through his window and entered the left side of his head. The bullet traveled through to the right side, and curved into the back of his head where it remains, lodged in his brain. Next.....

Douglas Warner Jr., physics professor

2010-03-13T17:11:00.000-08:00

Douglas Warner Jr., a retired physics professor and longtime Roland Park resident, died Monday of progressive aphasia at the Broadmead retirement community in Cockeysville. He was 84.

Dr. Warner, whose parents owned and operated the O.F.H. Warner Paper Co., was born in Baltimore and raised on Lombardy Place in Roland Park. He was also a grandson of Dr. Howard A. Kelly, one of the four founding physicians of Johns Hopkins Hospital.

He attended Gilman School and graduated in 1943 from the Pomfret School in Pomfret, Conn. Next..

Music Helps Stroke Victims Communicate, Study Finds

2010-03-13T16:43:00.000-08:00

SAN DIEGO—For the many stroke victims devastated by the loss of their ability to speak, music may hold the key to unlocking language, according to a new study.

The research, presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science here Saturday, produced often dramatic results in 12 patients whose speech was impaired after a stroke to the left hemisphere of the brain. Such patients struggle to communicate or cannot speak at all.

In the study, patients who were taught to essentially sing their words improved their verbal abilities and maintained the improvement for up to a month after the end of the therapy, according to Gottfried Schlaug, a neurology professor at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School.

The patients may continue to speak in a more "sing-songy" way than a person with normal speech, but they are able to say functional phrases, such as that they are thirsty or where they live, according to Dr. Schlaug, whose work was met with enthusiastic applause after his presentation.

The treatment, called melodic intonation therapy, was devised in the 1970s after clinicians observed that some patients who suffered strokes were no longer able to talk but could still sing. However, the therapy never really caught and its efficacy hasn't been fully assessed, Dr. Schlaug said.

In melodic intonation therapy, therapists teach patients how to sing words and phrases consistent with the underlying melody of speech, while tapping a rhythm with their left hands. After frequent repetition—1.5 hour-long daily sessions with a therapist for 15 weeks—the patients gradually learn to turn the sung words into speech.

The theory behind the treatment is that there are separate brain networks associated with vocal output, with one more engaged with speech and the other with music. With certain types of stroke, fibers on the left side of the brain that are important to the interaction of the auditory and the motor system are disrupted. But if the brain could recruit the fibers from the right side, which are more engaged with music, then the system could adapt. Dr. Schlaug believes that the tapping of the left hand works to engage the auditory and motor systems. Next...

How to get Aphasia Treatment?

2010-03-11T19:23:00.000-08:00

<strong>How to get Aphasia Treatment?

First you must understand what type of aphasia the person has. Example, a person with Wernicke’s aphasia, can speak a lot but unable to understand other’s words. Whereas in case of Broca’s aphasia, a person can understand words, but can speak out only few words with lot of effort.
Aphasia must be treated as soon as it is diagnosed. This makes a lot of difference in one’s recovery and getting back to his/her normal self.
Before deciding for a therapy, you must consider the amount of brain damge, the age and the health condition of the patient.
Find out with pathologist, neurologist who treat aphasia patients about what kind of therapy one must go through, what additional exercises that are to be done with the therapies etc. Also check if they have the latest technology included in their therapy sessions.
Try to involve the whole family in the treatment of an aphasia patient. In some of the training,relatives and family members are needed to get back the patient in his family circle. But you need to speak and treat the patient like human being. Try to speak with them in simple language and clearly. You must also be very patient with an aphasia patient. It can take a lot of time to treat, may be for 2 years. Next...

(Great Video) Music can repair brain after a stroke

2010-03-10T16:27:00.000-08:00

Two years ago, Rosemary Page could barely speak after a stroke. Today, she has sentences, and that began as songs.
Music therapist Jenny Rook says Rosemary's stroke caused what's called expressive aphasia.
"The capacity to produce music and musical phrases is not damaged so people with aphasia are usually able to sing songs when they can't talk," said music therapist Jenny Rook.Next...

John Medina on KING5 (NBC) News

2010-03-10T16:10:00.000-08:00

The hope of music's healing powers

2010-03-10T16:02:00.000-08:00

Yes, yes, it hath charms to soothe a savage breast (or beast, if you prefer to repeat a common mistake). But researchers are finding that music may be an effective balm for many other afflictions: the isolation of conditions such as autism and Alzheimer's disease, the disability that results from stroke, the physical stress of entering the world too early.

The hope of music's curative powers has spawned a community in the United States of some 5,000 registered music therapists, who have done post-college study in psychology and music to gain certification. Active primarily in hospitals, nursing homes, special needs classrooms and rehabilitation units, music therapists aim to soothe, stimulate and support the development or recovery of abilities lost to illness or injury.

Singing therapy helps stroke patients regain language

2010-03-10T15:31:00.000-08:00

San Diego, California (CNN) -- When mothers speak to children, it's often in a singsong tone. That's no coincidence, scientists say, given that music and language are so intricately linked in the brain.
Scientists are using this fundamental connection between song and speech to treat patients who have lost their ability to communicate. There's evidence that music can be used to help people with severe brain impairments learn how to speak again, scientists said over the weekend at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Doctors at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts, are treating stroke patients who have little or no spontaneous speech by associating melodies with words and phrases.
"Music, and music-making, is really a very special form of a tool or an intervention that can be used to treat neurological disorders, said Dr. Gottfried Schlaug, associate professor of neurology at Beth Israel and Harvard University. "There's rarely any other activity that could really activate or engage this many regions of the brain that is experienced as being a joyous activity."
There are between 750,000 and 800,000 strokes per year in the United States, and about 200,000 of them result in a kind of language disorder called aphasia, he said. About one-third of those patients have aphasia so severe that they become non-fluent, meaning about 60,000 to 70,000 patients per year could benefit from the music therapy.

Stroke Stopper Interventional Neuroradiologists Treat Brain Strokes with New Kind of Stent

2010-01-31T17:52:00.000-08:00

April 1, 2006 — A new "wingspan" stent helps restore blood flow for patients with intracranial atherosclerotic disease, or ICAD. Surgeons insert the stent up the leg arteries, guide it to the brain, then let its wire mesh expand, propping open a clogged blood vessel. The new stent, designed">April 1, 2006 — A new "wingspan" stent helps restore blood flow for patients with intracranial atherosclerotic disease, or ICAD. Surgeons insert the stent up the leg arteries, guide it to the brain, then let its wire mesh expand, propping open a clogged blood vessel. The new stent, designed...Next

The Picture of Health-Greg Clement - Age 19, Pepperell, MA

2009-12-29T09:58:00.000-08:00

I was in a car accident on December 17, 2008, where I sustained a traumatic brain injury, among many other things. The other injuries have healed very well, but I am still in the process of repairing the #1 thing in anyone's body - the brain! I was shown Lumosity by my speech therapist, and it was with the combination of help from all my doctors, therapists, family, and friends, that I have made, and am still making, an excellent recovery. Lumosity is something very ideal for someone in my situation. It's a very good tool to help me get back on my feet. I've recommended Lumosity to all of my friends as well! I give Lumosity two thumbs up!

The Visual Thesaurus

2009-12-26T18:23:00.000-08:00

I'm Speechless Word of the Day
aphasia

If you can remember that the combining form -phasia (from Greek for "speak") denotes speech disorders, you have a handy box for a number of things that can go wrong with vocalization. Aphasia is an inability to produce speech owing to disease or injury; dysphasia is the impairment of such ability. All other phasias are rarer and more obscure.

Click here to look up the word of the day in the Visual Thesaurus!

Bells Corners man defies odds, receives special award

2009-12-20T14:04:00.000-08:00

His accomplishments are many and overshadow the fact that he is both autistic and aphasic, having learned to communicate as a deaf person.

"To us, this was a big thrill for him to get the award," said Judi Roy, Mike's mother. "When he was a young child, I was told to put him in an institution and to forget about him, as if he didn't have a brain. He hadn't been diagnosed and back then autism was almost unheard of and ...Next...

TBI-based speech-disorder study to begin with radical new technology.

2009-12-19T12:19:00.000-08:00

A team of researchers in Australia received a $755,000 grant to perform a study with the help of a radical new technology to improve the effectiveness of traumatic brain injury (TBI) rehabilitation efforts...Next...

“Blood Clots Almost Killed Me”

2009-12-19T11:51:00.000-08:00

In January 2006, Syracuse University mourned the loss of Tracy Halpin, a 21-year-old senior who, according to the medical examiner’s report, died from blood clots in her legs that moved up to her lungs. The clots reportedly caused her to fall on Walnut Avenue, resulting in a liver laceration. When I read about it in the Daily Orange, I remember feeling confused and shocked, but at the same time thinking, how weird, that could never happen to me. One year later, it nearly did...Next..

Troops Strike Up a Tune to Repair the Damage of Brain Injuries

2009-12-14T21:07:00.000-08:00

Studies show that music can promote new neural connections, which Colorado State University neuroscientist Michael Thaut theorized could help overcome common symptoms of traumatic brain injury (TBI), such as short-term memory loss and impaired decision-making skills. Thaut and his colleagues enrolled 31 veterans suffering from TBI in a “neurologic music therapy” study where each drummer matches rhythms and tempos set by a bandleader. Last summer, they published results that show that after several 30-minute sessions, the group performed better on standard decision-making tests...Next...

Brain listens, learns while we sleep

2009-12-06T16:10:00.000-08:00

NORTHWESTERN—Even in deep sleep, sounds

make their way into our minds, researchers have

found, and enhance associated memories.

“The research strongly suggests that we don’t shut

down our minds during deep sleep,” says John

Rudoy, lead author of the study and a neuroscience

PhD student at Northwestern University. “Rather

this is an important time for consolidating memories.” Next.....

Toby: The Natural Therapy Pet

2009-11-25T06:11:00.000-08:00

Toby is one of God’s little creatures—a happy, vibrant, and friendly puppy. Loyal and affectionate, Toby has helped me recover from my strokes by relieving the tremendous stress with which I, a workaholic, have for so long lived.
I suffered three strokes in February and March 2006. I was chopping wood in my backyard in the bitter cold when blood clots formed in the left vertebral artery in the back of my neck. The clots led to two strokes, one in each left and right side of.......

Medibots: The world's smallest surgeons

2009-11-21T14:08:00.000-08:00

Editorial: Getting to the heart of robotic surgery

Gallery: The sci-fi future of surgery

A MAN lies comatose on an operating table. The enormous spider that hangs above him has plunged four appendages into his belly. The spider, made of white steel, probes around inside the man's abdomen then withdraws one of its arms. Held in the machine's claw is a neatly sealed bag containing a scrap of bloody tissue.

This is a da Vinci robot. It has allowed a surgeon, sitting at a control desk, to remove the patient's prostate gland in a manner that has several advantages over conventional methods. Yet the future of robotic surgery may lie not only with these hulking beasts but also with devices at the other end of the size spectrum. The surgeons of tomorrow will include tiny robots that enter our bodies and do their work from the inside, with no need to open patients up or knock them out. While nanobots that swim through the blood are still in the realm of fantasy, several groups are developing devices a few millimetres in size. The first generation of "mini-medibots" may infiltrate our bodies through our ears, eyes and lungs, to deliver drugs, take tissue samples or install medical devices. Next...

A chat with Lynn Morris

2009-11-15T15:04:00.000-08:00

This afternoon, I had a lovely chat with Lynn Morris and Marshall Wilborn. Longtime bluegrass fans are well familiar with Lynn’s many years as a performer, bandleader and friend to our music, and we all felt a great loss when she suffered a stroke in Match of 2003.....next........

Drugs Vivus, Analyst in Obesity Drug Side-Effect Spat

2009-11-15T14:59:00.000-08:00

"We believe adverse events such as "disturbance in attention," "memory impairment," "amnesia," "aphasia" and "cognitive disorder" -- even if relatively rare -- will prove to be serious regulatory hurdles for a weight-loss drug. Therefore, we now have reduced conviction in the approvability of Qnexa, and partnering prospects also may be reduced," wrote Cowen analyst Ian Sanderson.

Benefit to help local regain speech

2009-09-27T11:57:00.000-07:00

Wine tasting, silent auction and more to fund therapy for local surfer who lost ability to talk after stroke, collapse. For more than 20 years, he was part of staff at Hi-Time cellars.
By Brianna Bailey

Updated: Saturday, September 26, 2009 8:27 PM PDT
There are No comments posted. View Comments

For weeks, nobody knew exactly what happened in the minutes before Newport Beach resident Alan Halderman collapsed on a dock in Catalina, where he was vacationing, after suffering a massive stroke.

Halderman, 53, was wearing swim trunks when he collapsed and had left his wallet back on his boat, anchored just off shore.

The stroke damaged the part of Halderman’s brain that governs communication, leaving him with a disorder known as aphasia.

Halderman couldn’t tell anyone who he was or what had happened, because he couldn’t talk....NEXT....

Aphasia In-Service Training

2009-09-26T15:22:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I put together some materials for an in-service training on aphasia. I wanted to share it for those who are looking for an in-service to perform, or for those who would like to learn a little more about it.

Understanding and Working with Aphasia

Presented By: Justin Zarb

Aphasia: Quick Fact Sheet

Who Gets Aphasia and What Causes It?

By far the most common cause of aphasia is stroke. However, any disease or injury that damages brain tissue can cause aphasia (head injury, aneurysm, brain tumors). It is estimated that about 20% of individuals who suffer a stroke will also incur a serious loss of speech and language.

What is Aphasia?

Aphasia is a total or partial loss of the ability to communicate whether through listening and understanding, speaking, gesturing, reading, or writing.

When Does Aphasia Onset? When Does Aphasia Get Treated?

Where In the Brain Does the Damage Occur?......next.....

Q & A: Tennessee Reed

2009-09-26T14:14:00.000-07:00

Authors Ishmael Reed and Tennessee Reed (Photo courtesy: Red Room)

Sometimes, a diagnosis can mean the end of the road. In the case of Tennessee Reed, the daughter of choreographer Carla Blank and writer Ishmael Reed, it was a new beginning. By the time she was two, she had been diagnosed with a speech and language-based learning disorder. Over time, names like Aphasia, Dyscalculia, and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder entered her vocabulary and her life. But she learned to deal with all the labels and disorders she had been overwhelmed with. Even though experts had predicted she would never be able to read or write, she was authoring poetry books by the time she was in her teens. She went on to get a graduate degree from Mills College, write five books of poetry, and most recent next......

Living with Aphasia:

2009-09-21T16:35:00.000-07:00

Living with Aphasia:

We meet the remarkable Scottish Blues singer overcoming communication problems caused by a stroke through music..

http://video.stv.tv/bc/tv-thefivethirtyshow-20080122-living-with-aphasia/

Video in Scottish have Aphasia

Des Moines teen helps dad deal with stages of living

2009-07-19T14:53:00.001-07:00

Joseph Kearney crinkles the corner of his mouth and thumbs through the list of medical terms he must know for a test the next week.

Aphasia. It's a sudden inability to understand words, caused by disease or brain injury.

This is how the husky, soft-spoken 17-year-old spends time before class two days each week at the Mercy College library in downtown Des Moines.Next..

Couple inspires with cancer book

2009-07-19T14:37:00.001-07:00

Given six months to live, Brian Monaghan was prepared to get his affairs in order. But his wife refused to let the diagnosis of Stage IV melanoma take her husband. Eleven years later, the healthy couple have published a book about their inspirational fight.

“We decided we weren’t going to accept cancer as a death sentence,” said Gerri Monaghan of her husband’s 1998 diagnosis and their battle, which they document in The Power of Two: Surviving Serious Illness with an Attitude and an Advocate.

Hundreds walk for heart health in Spfld 2009 annual Pioneer Valley Heart Walk

2009-07-19T14:25:00.000-07:00

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - Upwards of 1,000 people came to Springfield's Forest Park to help combat heart disease. Men, women and children fought heart disease by taking part in Sunday's fund raising Pioneer Valley Heart Walk.
22News met up with people who suffer from heart disease and stroke, or who've experienced the disease taking loved ones from them. "My wife had a stroke a year ago in January and she has aphasia to inability to speak. Slowly, slowly, slowly, she's working her way back," said Jack Taylor of Springfield. Next...

A stroke took his voice, but he never lost faith

2009-07-17T14:34:00.001-07:00

Dan Kidd rolled out of bed for work at 5 a.m. on Mother's Day and could only walk sideways.

In the shower, his balance failed and he nearly fell over.

He Googled the symptoms of stroke. The results came back: Severe headache, weakness on one side, droopy face, slurred speech and impaired balance. Everything matched.

"Something's happening in my head," Kidd told his wife, Kim, a nurse with experience attending to stroke victims.

She took Dan's blood pressure, put him in the car and drove to the hospital.

There, as doctors ran tests and prescribed medications, Kim noticed something in her husband's voice and alerted the staff: Next..

Petition

2009-07-17T14:07:00.000-07:00

Petition summary and background
Speakability offers support to people with Aphasia, who have communication problems following a stroke, head injury, brain tumour or other neurological condition. People with Aphasia know what they want to say; they just have trouble finding the right words. They can enjoy social activities just like everyone else if communication tools, such as illustrated / photo hand-held menus, are provided by coffee shop and café owners.
Action
We, the undersigned, suppor Next...

National Aphasia Awareness Month

2009-07-17T12:11:00.000-07:00

“Listen and hear my voice; pay attention and hear what I say.” Isaiah28:23

Aphasia is an acquired communication disorder that impairs a person’s ability to process language, but does not affect intelligence. Aphasia impairs the ability to speak and understand others, and most people with aphasia experience difficulty reading and writing.
The most common cause of aphasia is stroke (about 25-40% of stroke survivors acquire aphasia). It can also result from head injury, brain tumor or other neurological causes. Aphasia affects about one million Americans or 1 in 250 people. While aphasia is most common among older people, it can occur in people of all ages.
Recovery from aphasia. If the symptoms Next....

Haifa study: First, second languages controlled by different parts of brain

2009-07-17T12:09:00.001-07:00

Ever feel as though you had two languages or more competing for a finite amount of brain space?

If so, think again.

A new study by a University of Haifa researcher on bilingualism suggests that first and second languages are represented in different places in the brain.
Advertisement
Dr. Raphiq Ibrahim was able to extend what little knowledge exists on cerebral linguistic representation by studying the curious medical case of an Israeli Arab who, after sustaining brain damage, found it easier to regain his Arabic than his Hebrew.

The 41-year-old bilingual patient is a native Arabic speaker, but spoke Hebrew nearly as well. A university graduate, he passed entrance exams in Hebrew and used the language frequently at work. Next............

HEALTH NEWS Treating aphasia Thursday, May 14, 2009 | 6:21 PM

2009-05-15T16:16:00.000-07:00

By Dr. Jay Adlersberg

NEW JERSEY (WABC) -- A stroke or accident that injures the brain can leave people unable to speak, to understand and express language. This medical problem is called aphasia.

Some doctors think a person's ability to overcome this condition is limited, but at the Adler Aphasia Center in Maywood, New Jersey, patients perform activities that aim to help them to improve.

"Most improvement happens in the first six months, but that's not to say they won't improve for the rest of their lives, and that's very much what we're about," said Karen Tucker, the center's executive director.

Vahan Khoyan had a stroke a few years ago. Like most people with aphasia, his intellect is completely intact, but speaking is a problem. For him, the center is a place to socialize and make friends, to break ...NEXT........................

AssistiveWare Previews iPhone Text-To-Speech Proloquo2Go

2009-04-29T13:00:00.000-07:00

AssistiveWare announced that it will preview its product, Proloquo2Go, which uses Acapela Group's forthcoming iPhone text-to-speech to provide a full-fledged communication solution on the iPhone and iPod touch for people who cannot speak. Also to show is the upcoming version of Infovox iVox, which introduces new British, Italian, Greek, Norwegian and Russian voices for the Mac.

Also to be introduced by AssistiveWare are the GhostReader document and selection reader used by struggling readers and for language learning, the KeyStrokes on-screen keyboard, the SwitchXS switch access solution to Mac OS X, the VisioVoice access solution for people with vision impairments, in addition to the Mac-based Proloquo communication software.

AssistiveWare will also be showcasing the Axiotron Modbook, a tablet Mac providing an ideal platform for assistive technology software because of it's compact form and durable design.

Piracetam (Nootropyl) and aphasia

2009-04-28T06:46:00.000-07:00

Excerpts from Smart Drugs & Nutrients

Piracetam (Nootropyl)

by Ward Dean, M.D., and John Morgenthaler

Piracetam is reported to be an intelligence booster and CNS (central nervous system) stimulant with no known toxicity or addictive properties. Piracetam is inexpensive (under $0.85 per day) and available by mail (see appendix A). The subjective effect described by some people is that piracetam, “wakes up your brain.” You'll find more personal accounts of the effects of this remarkable drug in the case histories and testimonials appendix. It's effects and safety are so impressive that piracetam prompted the creation of a new pharmaceutical category called nootropics.

The term nootropic comes from a Greek word meaning “acting on the mind.” Since the invention of piracetam by UCB Laboratories in Belgium, other pharmaceutical companies have been scrambling to develop their own nootropics. Some of them being researched now include; vinpocetine, aniracetam, pramiracetam, and oxiracetam. As yet, there is no nootropic compound that is FDA approved for sale in the US, but there is plenty of motivation on the part of pharmaceutical companies to get that approval. Financial analysts expect that the US market for these cognitive enhancers will soon be in excess of $1-billion per year (Pelton, 1989).

Piracetam is very similar in molecular structure to the amino acid pyroglutamate (see Pyroglutamate). Piracetam and pyroglutamate have the same “base” chemical structure, the 2-oxo-pyrrolidine, but they differ by the side chain. Pyroglutamate is 2-oxo-pyrrolidine carboxylic acid, and piracetam is 2-oxo-pyrrolidine acetamide.

Piracetam enhances cognition under conditions of hypoxia (too little oxygen), and also enhances memory and some kinds of learning in normal humans. Outside of the US, piracetam is used to treat alcoholism, stroke, vertigo, senile dementia, sickle cell anemia, dyslexia, and numerous other health problems (Pelton, 1989).

One of the most intriguing effects of piracetam is that it promotes the flow of information between the right and left hemispheres of the brain (Buresova, 1976). We know that the communication between the two sides of the brain is associated with flashes of creativity. This may also be the basis for piracetam's usefulness in the treatment of dyslexia (Dilanni, 1985). ..........next...............

Treatment gives Liliana new smile

2009-04-24T14:23:00.000-07:00

22-Apr-2009

IT is smiles all around for young 12-year-old Liliana Maravu who suffered a brain tumour that had her blind on one eye.

Thanks to treatment she received under the guidance of Canberra neurosurgeon, Dr K Nandan Chandran, Liliana has had a new lease of life.

Travelling to Fiji to help with brain tumour sufferers, Dr Chandran operated on Maravu with the hope of relieving her suffering.

However, complications after the surgery meant that Liliana was bound for Canberra where she would get a second operation with the hope of rectifying the problem.

With the support of the Rotary Oceania Medical Aid for Children (ROMAC), Liliana’s dream would finally come true as she would travel to Canberra for her operation with her adoptive grandmother, Cecilia Keil.

Lilian accompanied by her grandmother, were hosted in Canberra at the residence of Gungahlin Rotary Club president, Sandra Mahlberg.

She was there until last week in which she was able to see certain specialists who were there to help her in correcting her sight before her return home.

With the kind help from ROMAC who generously offered $20,000 in cash to help the young lady with her hospital costs, Liliana can now breathe a sigh of relief as all her troubles that once haunted her are all just a distant memory.

Her recovery from the operation was somewhat an amazing feat as described by Ms Mahlberg, “she was supposed to have been in hospital for ten days but only spent six days at the hospital and had only a day to content with in ICU.” next.........

talk about tia

2009-04-24T08:15:00.000-07:00

A transient ischemic attack (TIA) is a temporary blood clot in the brain. When you have a TIA, your symptoms are similar to those of stroke and last less than a day, yet most last less than five minutes.¹ A TIA may make you feel dizzy or confused, but because it is over so quickly, you may not even realize that you had one.

TIA Can Happen to Anyone

I was a healthy, pregnant 32-year-old when I had one of the most frightening experiences of my life, which lasted an agonizing 40 minutes. It was late winter 2007, and I was in a meeting at work when all of a sudden everything went blurry. This terrible feeling washed over me and I couldn't see my colleagues clearly or spell simple words when taking notes. The right side of my body — my arm, face and leg — went numb. I didn't want to draw attention to myself so I sat very still.

The meeting seemed to drag on forever and I was so confused and scared because I didn't know what was happening to me or if it was going to stop. And then the symptoms went away almost as quickly as they came on. I was relieved to feel okay again, but called my husband and he told me to go to the emergency room immediately.

The emergency room doctor diagnosed me with transient ischemic attack (TIA). I had no idea what a TIA was or what the risk factors for having one were. The doctor gave me some materials to read and my husband and I researched more. We learned that high blood pressure or smoking can increase the risk of having a TIA. Although neither of these apply to me, I learned that TIA really can happen to anyone.

Experiencing a TIA was a wake-up call for me. Now I'm aware of what I need to do to prevent another one, which includes eating a healthy diet and regular check-ups with my doctor. I also get plenty of exercise keeping up with my seven-month-old daughter.

I think it's really important for people of all ages to know the symptoms of TIA — I wish I had known what was happening to me during that meeting at work, and the importance of getting help right away. I want people like me to know that TIA exists and it can happen to them. By knowing the symptoms and what to do if you experience them, you can help reduce the risk of having a TIA or stroke.

Jennifer S.
St. Joseph, Missouri

Having a stroke can be devastating. Almost 70% of stroke survivors will be left with some type of disability. These may include paralysis, vision problems, speech or language problems, or memory loss.²

What causes a TIA?

TIAs are caused by a blood clot that partially blocks normal blood flow to the brain. These blockages usually happen for one the following reasons³: next...

i report

2009-04-23T08:55:00.000-07:00

Just a bump in the road . . .My husband was diagnosed in May 2003 with a GBM IV - had radiation and Chemo for three years and is now cancer free. A beautiful clear MRI! Tumor was in the left frontal area - has expressive aphasia (word finding skills) - walks two miles a day and is loved by his family everyday! Life is good

scanman’s casebook: Case 13

2009-04-13T12:25:00.000-07:00

Published by Vijay March 20th, 2009 in Brain, CT, Radiology, casebook

CT Angiography shows severe narrowing of the distal cervical, intracanalicular and supraclinoid segments of left Internal Carotid artery with non-visualized terminal segment and its bifurcation. Left Middle Cerebral artery and A1 segment of left Anterior Cerebral artery are not seen. A2 & A3 segments of left ACA are normal.

Diagnosis: Internal Carotid artery dissection with acute cerebral infarction (MCA territory)

Carotid artery dissection is a significant cause of ischemic stroke in all age groups.Spontaneous internal carotid artery dissection is a common cause of ischemic stroke in patients younger than 50 years and accounts for up to 25% of ischemic strokes in young and middle-aged patients. Dissection of the internal carotid artery can occur intracranially or extracranially, with the latter being more frequent. Internal carotid artery dissection can be caused by major or minor trauma, or it can be spontaneous in which case genetic, familial, and/or heritable disorders are likely etiologies. Patients can present in a variety of settings, such as a trauma bay with multiple traumatic injuries; their physician’s office with nonspecific head, neck, or face pain; or to the emergency department with a partial Horner syndrome. A high index of suspicion is required to make this difficult diagnosis. Sophisticated imaging techniques, which have improved over the last two decades, are required to confirm the presence of dissection.

Further Reading:

1. Case of Carotid Dissection with stroke at Radiopaedia.org - completely worked up with plain CT, DW MRI, CT Perfusion & DSA images.
2. Dissection, Carotid Artery - article in Medscape Radiology [Registration required, Free]
3. Acute Cerebral Infarction - case in BrighamRad.

2008-10-24T17:42:00.001-07:00

Regional EMS Council of New York City Designated Stroke Centers

2008-10-17T19:42:00.000-07:00

Regional EMS Council of New York City Designated Stroke Centers
Bronx County

* Bronx Lebanon Hospital Ctr - Concourse Division
* Jacobi Medical Center
* Lincoln Medical & Mental Health Center
* Montefiore Medical Center-Moses Division
* Montefiore Medical Center-Jack D. Weiler Hosp. of Albert Einstein College of Medicine
* New York Westchester Square Medical Center
* Our Lady of Mercy Hospital Ctr
* St. Barnabas Hospital

Kings County

* Beth Israel Medical Center, Kings Highway Division
* Brookdale University Hospital
* Brooklyn Hospital Center, The
* Coney Island Hospital
* Kings County Hospital
* Long Island College Hospital
* Lutheran Medical Center
* Maimonides Med Center
* New York Methodist
* NY Community Hospital
* University Hospital of Brooklyn - SUNY University Downstate
* Victory Memorial Hospital
* Woodhull Medical and Mental Health Center
* Wyckoff Heights Medical Center

New York County

* Bellevue Hospital
* Beth Israel MC, Petrie Division
* Cabrini Medical Center
* Harlem Hospital Ctr
* Lenox Hill Hospital
* Metropolitan Hospital Center
* Mount Sinai Hospital
* New York Downtown Hospital
* New York Presbyterian Hospital, Columbia Medical Center
* New York Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell Medical Ctr
* North General Hospital
* NYU Medical Center
* St. Lukes Roosevelt-Roosevelt Division
* St. Lukes Roosevelt-St. Lukes Division
* St. Vincent's Midtown Hospital
* SVCMC - St. Vincent's Manhattan

Queens County

* Elmhurst Hospital
* Flushing Hospital
* Jamaica Hospital Medical Center
* Long Island Jewish Medical Center
* Mt. Sinai Hospital of Queens
* NY Hospital Medical Center
* North Shore Forest Hills Hospital
* Parkway Hospital
* Peninsula Hospital
* St. John's Queens Hospital

Richmond County

* Staten Island University Hospital-North
* SVMC - St. Vincent's Staten Island

Stroke Survivor

2008-08-28T16:46:00.000-07:00

Dina Pagnotta, Stroke Survivor

Following is Dina's story, as told at the Heart of New York gala at the Waldorf=Astoria on March 19, 2008.

Dina Pagnotta

I am honored to be here this evening as we continue our crusade in the fight against heart disease and stroke. We all think of stroke as being an affliction of the elderly but approximately six years ago I had a stroke. I was 30 years old, I was and still am a runner, I had no risk factors, no family history. I was attending a seminar and began to feel faint. I took a sip of water, but oddly enough I couldn’t swallow. I began to shift toward my left side; my left arm wouldn’t move; my speech was slurred, and I began to cry. The next thing I knew, I was in an ambulance. The paramedic was calling the ER about a possible incoming stroke patient. When I arrived at the emergency room with what would be considered classic stroke symptoms, left-sided weakness and slurred speech, the staff didn’t immediately recognize what was wrong with me. I was too young to have a stroke.

Youth and stroke are not associated with each other. I abruptly discovered that stroke does not discriminate. My stroke was caused by a congenital heart defect that I was unaware of. Fortunately, I was properly diagnosed and received wonderful medical care. Although I recovered completely, physically, I understand that stroke survivorship is a life-long journey.

I’ve had my heart repaired through a 45-minute procedure that would have required open heart surgery if not for the current advances in medical technology. A titanium disc now sits between the chambers of my heart. There are many others who do not share my good fortune. There’s Sam, 34, who was starting medical school in September but had a stroke in June and now cannot articulate his thoughts; there’s Ginger, 36, whose 4-year-old daughter wonders why her mom can’t play with her as she used to. There’s David, 44, who was at the height of his career as a graphic artist but because of his stroke can’t sit at a computer for more than 5 minutes at a time. And there are so many others. What is equally disturbing is the lack of research in the area of stroke and the younger population. The data is paltry at best.

Stroke and heart disease are a major global health problem that affect people of all ages and demand primary prevention. They necessitate increasing public awareness and education. They require increased research. They require questions and answers. They require change. Having survived this traumatic event has inspired me to pose questions and seek answers. I can’t possibly convey how fortunate I feel to have gone through this experience physically unscathed but having acquired insight into this affliction and a passion to affect positive change.

Gandhi was quoted as saying: “Be the change you want to see in the world.” Change is everyone recognizing the signs and symptoms of stroke regardless of age. Change is prompt and comprehensive medical treatment in every hospital across the country. Change is erasing the notion that stroke only affects the elderly. Please join me along with the American Heart and Stroke Associations in making a difference. Together we can decrease the number of people affected by heart disease and stroke. Together we can be the change.