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Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports
Published in: Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports 7/2015

01-07-2015 | Behavior (HS Kirshner, Section Editor)

Neuroscience of Aphasia Recovery: the Concept of Neural Multifunctionality

Authors: Dalia Cahana-Amitay, Martin L. Albert

Published in: Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports | Issue 7/2015

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Abstract

Aphasia therapy, while demonstrably successful, has been limited by its primary focus on language, with relatively less attention paid to nonlinguistic factors (cognitive, affective, praxic) that play a major role in recovery from aphasia. Neuroscientific studies of the past 15–20 years have opened a breach in the wall of traditional clinico-anatomical teachings on aphasia. It is not an exaggeration to talk of a paradigm shift. The term “neural multifunctionality” denotes a complex web of neural networks supporting both linguistic and nonlinguistic functions in constant and dynamic interaction, creating language as we know it and contributing to recovery from aphasia following brain damage. This paper reviews scientific underpinnings of neural multifunctionality and suggests ways in which this new approach to understanding the neural basis of language can lead to meaningful, practical steps for improvements in aphasia therapy.
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Metadata
Title
Neuroscience of Aphasia Recovery: the Concept of Neural Multifunctionality
Authors
Dalia Cahana-Amitay
Martin L. Albert
Publication date
01-07-2015
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports / Issue 7/2015
Print ISSN: 1528-4042
Electronic ISSN: 1534-6293
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11910-015-0568-7

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