How bilingual Spanish–English speakers' language changes after stroke or dementia
Computational modeling of language impairment and control in bilingual individuals with post-stroke aphasia and neurodegenerative disorders
Using computer simulations to help explain why bilingual people lose, keep, or regain language after a stroke or with dementia.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Boston University (Charles River Campus) NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11160693 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you join this research, the team will combine information from bilingual Spanish–English speakers—like language tests, clinical histories, and possibly brain imaging—to build computer models of how two languages are processed. The models will simulate normal aging, language loss after stroke (aphasia), and gradual decline from neurodegenerative disease to see which patterns match real people. Because studying hundreds of different bilingual profiles in real life is hard, the simulations let researchers explore many combinations of language use and recovery. The goal is to pinpoint factors that predict who may lose one or both languages and what kinds of therapy might help.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are bilingual Spanish–English adults who have had a stroke causing aphasia or who have a neurodegenerative condition affecting language, and who are willing to share language testing and clinical information.
Not a fit: People who are monolingual, speak other language pairs, or do not have stroke-related aphasia or neurodegenerative language decline are unlikely to benefit directly from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to better predictions of language recovery and more tailored speech therapy for bilingual patients after stroke or with dementia.
How similar studies have performed: Related computational models for single-language aphasia and dementia have shown promise, but applying these methods specifically to bilingual Spanish–English speakers is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
Boston, United States
- Boston University (Charles River Campus) — Boston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kiran, Swathi — Boston University (Charles River Campus)
- Study coordinator: Kiran, Swathi
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 below.