Functional Brain Imaging in Stroke Survivors - Healthy Volunteers

STUDY BASICS

Are you a Veteran who is enrolled in the VA Healthcare System and has never had a stroke? You may be eligible to participate in a research study to help us validate a new tool for monitoring language processing in the brain. This study involves attending 4 to 6 visits and includes Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanning. Compensation is provided.

STUDY PURPOSE

The purpose of this research study is to determine if a brain imaging technique called functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a valid and reliable way to measure brain activity in people who have aphasia due to a stroke. Aphasia means difficulty talking, understanding, reading, and writing due to damage or injury to the brain. fNIRS has previously been used with other groups of people, but it has rarely been used in aphasia. Instead, most functional brain imaging research involving people with aphasia makes use of functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). Our overall goal is to see if fNIRS can successfully be used to study aphasia and language rehabilitation by comparing it to fMRI.

COULD THIS STUDY BE RIGHT FOR YOU?

• Are a Veteran who is enrolled in and receives healthcare through the VA Healthcare System
• Speak English
• Do not have a brain injury or history of a stroke
• No past/present speech or language disorder
• Can safely have an Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

WHAT PARTICIPANTS CAN EXPECT

Attend 4 to 6 hour-long appointments to --

• Complete cognitive and/or language testing
• Have up to four non-invasive brain imaging studies

               --2 functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) scans

               --2 Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) scans

Research activities will take place at VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System (University Drive C, Pittsburgh, PA) and CMU-Pitt BRIDGE Center (Mellon Institute 144, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA).