Difficulties finding words in stroke and progressive neurological diseases

Every year, thousands of adults suffer from brain damage that causes anomia, ie. difficulty finding words. Anomia often occurs after a stroke or in progressive neurological diseases such as Parkinson's disease (PD) and multiple sclerosis (MS). The ability to name nouns and verbs can be affected to varying degrees.

The current project investigates how different types of neurogenic communication disorders affect the ability to name verbs and nouns in people with brain injury after stroke or with PS or MS. The project also investigates the communicative strategies used in everyday conversations by individuals with anomia. Finally, treatment effects of various training programs for improvement of word finding are evaluated. In the project, both quantitative and qualitative methods are employed.