Understanding how bilinguals with aphasia read in real-time after a stroke
Official title: Assessment of real-time reading comprehension in bilinguals with aphasia
Funded at Boston University (Charles River Campus) · NIH-11014967 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study looks at how people who speak two languages and have aphasia understand reading in both languages, using special eye-tracking tools to see how they process words and sentences, so we can better understand the challenges they face after a stroke.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Fellowship grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Boston University (Charles River Campus) NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | January 1, 2024 |
| Project end | December 31, 2025 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $39,454 |
| NIH project number | 5F31DC021628-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11014967 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research are bilingual individuals who have experienced a stroke and are currently facing challenges with reading comprehension due to aphasia.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who are not bilingual or who have not experienced a stroke may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research investigates how bilingual individuals with aphasia, a condition often resulting from a stroke, comprehend reading in their two languages. It uses eye-tracking technology to observe how these individuals process words and sentences in real-time, focusing on the cognitive-linguistic challenges they face. By examining the effects of semantic and lexical variables on their reading comprehension, the study aims to uncover the mechanisms of language selection and co-activation in bilinguals post-stroke.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to improved therapeutic strategies for bilingual individuals with aphasia, enhancing their reading comprehension and overall communication abilities.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies have successfully used eye-tracking methods in healthy bilinguals, but this specific approach with bilinguals who have aphasia is novel and untested.
Where this research is happening
-
Boston University (Charles River Campus)
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Scimeca, Michael David — Boston University (Charles River Campus)
- Study coordinator: Scimeca, Michael David
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.
-
Neural signals linked to recovery from aphasia after stroke
This grant follows people who recently had a stroke and aphasia to understand why some recover language abilities better than others.
-
Bilingualism and language resilience in Hispanic people with primary progressive aphasia
Researchers compare different bilingual experiences to see how they relate to language decline and thinking skills in Hispanic adults with primary progressive aphasia.
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Functional reorganization of language and general brain networks in aphasia
This project studies how language areas and general brain networks work together to help people recover language after a stroke, by looking at brain activity and responses to language tasks.
-
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.