Functional Neuroimaging of Speech-Related Brain Structures in Health and in Poststroke Aphasia

The introduction of noninvasive functional neuroimaging methods such as functional MRI (fMRI) into scientific and clinical studies has increased our knowledge of the organization of cognitive processes in health and during reorganization in poststroke aphasia. We present here the results of an fMRI study of the functional organization of the cerebral cortex in healthy adult humans during the processing of various types of speech information, and the main types of reorganization of the brain’s speech structures in aphasia at different poststroke time points. The concepts of effective and ineffective cerebral neuroplasticity during poststroke aphasia are considered. There is a need for further complex studies, including neuropsychological investigations and some mutually complementary methods for functional neuroimaging to develop methods for the phased treatment and neurorehabilitation of patients with poststroke aphasia.