Applying Basic Neuroscience to Aphasia Therapy

What the Animals Are Telling Us

Advances in basic neuroscience have increased our knowledge about the neural processes underlying learning and memory and the cortical reorganization that occurs in response to environmental demands and cortical injury. This article provides a selective review of published studies conducted in animals that examine functional and structural substrates of neural plasticity in the adult mammalian brain, and discusses the implications of this knowledge for aphasia therapy. The processes and constraints identified in the studies reviewed can be used to refine and justify current aphasia therapies, as well as to design additional behavioral interventions.

Key Words: adult language disorders, long-term potentiation, neural plasticity, cortical reorganization

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