Improving Reading After Stroke with Brain Training and Imagery
Official title: Rehabilitation of Reading Deficits in Subacute Stroke using fMRI Neurofeedback and Motor Imagery
Funded at Kessler Foundation, INC. · NIH-11123409 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project explores whether using brain imaging feedback and mental exercises can help stroke survivors improve their reading abilities.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Career grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Kessler Foundation, INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (East Hanover, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | July 1, 2021 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $126,571 |
| NIH project number | 5K01DC019178-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11123409 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates would be individuals who have experienced a left-hemisphere stroke and are living with persistent reading and language difficulties.
✕Less likely to help
Patients whose reading difficulties are not related to left-hemisphere stroke or who do not have reading deficits may not receive direct benefit from this specific intervention.
What this research studies
Many stroke survivors experience lasting reading and language difficulties, even after therapy, and current treatments often only help with specific materials. This project aims to develop new ways to help the brain recover by using real-time fMRI neurofeedback, which allows individuals to learn to control their own brain activity. Participants will use mental strategies, like imagining finger movements, while receiving live feedback on their brain activity to strengthen areas important for reading. The goal is to encourage the brain to reorganize itself in ways that improve reading skills more broadly.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could offer a new, more effective way for stroke survivors to regain reading skills that apply to everyday life.
How similar studies have gone: Preliminary evidence suggests that real-time fMRI neurofeedback can improve post-stroke motor and cognitive function, indicating promise for this biologically-inspired approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Kessler Foundation, INC.
East Hanover, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Boukrina, Olga — Kessler Foundation, INC.
- Study coordinator: Boukrina, Olga
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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.