Article

Two advanced magnetic resonance neuroimaging techniques, functional magnetic
resonance imaging (fMRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), have recently made
their way into clinically oriented research and hold great promise to study the
brain's adaptive changes of function and structure after aphasic stroke,
respectively. Such functional and structural neuroplasticity is thought to
underlie the recovery of language function, occurring spontaneously and/or in the
context of therapeutic intervention. With fMRI, brain activity can be visualized.
Spontaneous brain activity, present in multiple brain networks, is measured with
resting-state fMRI and language-related brain activity by having the subject
perform a language task during scanning (task-based fMRI). With DTI the major
white matter tracts, such as the dorsal and ventral language pathways and the
commissural fibers, can be visualized and quantified.
Both techniques are
entirely noninvasive and thus offer the unique opportunity to perform multiple
assessments within the same subject. To gain more insight in functional and
structural neuroplasticity after aphasic stroke, advanced magnetic resonance
neuroimaging studies in specific patient populations, at several stages after
stroke and in the course of language recovery, are needed. Such studies will help
to clarify the influence of the many factors that play a role in the recovery of
language function and are thus vital to further the development of aphasia
therapy. Application of these techniques in aphasic stroke patients, however, is
not without challenge.
The purpose of this article is to discuss the methodologic
challenges of fMRI and DTI in the assessment of language recovery after aphasic stroke.
CI - Copyright (c) 2012 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by
Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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