Brain-wave testing to pinpoint listening challenges in aphasia
Official title: Reliability and validity of temporal response function modeling in aphasia
Funded at University of Houston · NIH-11249235 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project uses EEG while people with aphasia listen to natural speech to identify which sound and word cues their brains track.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Houston NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Houston, United States) |
| Project start | January 1, 2024 |
| Project end | December 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $191,947 |
| NIH project number | 5R21DC021497-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11249235 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are adults with stroke-related aphasia who can sit through EEG recordings and listen to spoken stories in English.
✕Less likely to help
People without aphasia, those with uncorrected severe hearing loss, or those unable to undergo EEG (for example due to implanted medical devices) likely would not benefit from this work.
What this research studies
You will listen to continuous, natural speech while we record your brain activity with EEG. We apply temporal response function (TRF) modeling to link features of the speech—like spectrotemporal patterns and word-level cues—to your EEG responses. Because you won't need to give spoken or button-press answers, the test measures listening with less extra thinking or memory load. The team will check whether these brain-based measures are reliable and reflect real comprehension problems so they could help target therapy.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could create objective brain-based tests that identify specific listening deficits and help clinicians tailor speech therapy.
How similar studies have gone: TRF and EEG methods have shown promise in healthy listeners and some language studies, but applying and validating them specifically in people with aphasia is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Houston
Houston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Dial, Heather — University of Houston
- Study coordinator: Dial, Heather
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Communication Bridge: Improving language therapy for people with primary progressive aphasia
A proven language-therapy program called Communication Bridge helps people with primary progressive aphasia improve and maintain how they communicate with others.
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Neural signals linked to recovery from aphasia after stroke
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Bilingualism and language resilience in Hispanic people with primary progressive aphasia
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Functional reorganization of language and general brain networks in aphasia
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eSANA: revealing and improving AAC use after stroke for aphasia
A project to explore how people with aphasia after a stroke can best use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) during early rehabilitation.
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Cortical Organization of Syntax in Aphasia
A patient-facing study to understand how brain injury affects sentence structure and help people with aphasia communicate more clearly.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.