Παπαθανασίου Ηλίας: Εγκέφαλος & Αποκατάσταση της Αφασίας

http://www.blod.gr/lectures/Pages/viewlecture.aspx?LectureID=1

Η ομιλία αυτή παρουσιάζει τις διαφορετικές προσεγγίσεις που χρησιμοποιούν οι λογοθεραπευτές, στην κλινική πράξη, για την διαχείριση των ατόμων με αφασίες. Ύστερα από την περιγραφή των μηχανισμών της πλαστικότητας του εγκεφάλου, γίνεται αναφορά στη χρήση τους, στην κλινική τους εφαρμογή και στην πρακτική τους αξιοποίηση για τη νευροαποκατάσταση των διαταραχών επικοινωνίας. Επίσης, γίνεται αναφορά  στην τεχνογνωσία που πρέπει να κατέχει ο λογοθεραπευτής για τη αξιολόγηση, τη διαχείριση και τη θεραπεία των διαταραχών αυτών, αλλά και στον τρόπο χειρισμού τους από τα άλλα μέλη της διεπιστημονικής ομάδας. Τέλος, γίνεται μνεία στις αρχές του μοντέλου του "Παγκοσμίου Οργανισμού Υγείας", σύμφωνα με τις οποίες οι έννοιες της βλάβης, της δραστηριότητας και της συμμετοχής θέτουν τη βάση για την παρέμβαση από το λογοθεραπευτή, ενώ γίνεται συσχέτιση με τις διάφορες προσεγγίσεις - όπως η νευρολογική, η γλωσσολογική, η κοινωνική, κλπ - οι οποίες εχουν αναπτυχθεί για να περιγραφεί η αφασία.

The brain speaks

Scientists decode words from brain signals

		IMAGE: An array of 16 microelectrodes -- known as a microECoG grid -- is arranged in a four-by-four array and shown next to a US quarter-dollar coin with a Utah state... Click here for more information.

SALT LAKE CITY, Sept. 7, 2010 – In an early step toward letting severely paralyzed people speak with their thoughts, University of Utah researchers translated brain signals into words using two grids of 16 microelectrodes implanted beneath the skull but atop the brain.

"We have been able to decode spoken words using only signals from the brain with a device that has promise for long-term use in paralyzed patients who cannot now speak," says Bradley Greger, an assistant professor of bioengineering.

Because the method needs much more improvement and involves placing electrodes on the brain, he expects it will be a few years before clinical trials on paralyzed people who cannot speak due to so-called "locked-in syndrome."

The Journal of Neural Engineering's September issue is publishing Greger's study showing the feasibility of translating brain signals into computer-spoken words.

The University of Utah research team placed grids of tiny microelectrodes over speech centers in the brain of a volunteer with severe epileptic seizures. The man already had a craniotomy – temporary partial skull removal – so doctors could place larger, conventional electrodes to locate the source of his seizures and surgically stop them.

Using the experimental microelectrodes, the scientists recorded brain signals as the patient repeatedly read each of 10 words that might be useful to a paralyzed person: yes, no, hot, cold, hungry, thirsty, hello, goodbye, more and less.

Later, they tried figuring out which brain signals represented each of the 10 words. When they compared any two brain signals – such as those generated when the man said the words "yes" and "no" – they were able to distinguish brain signals for each word 76 percent to 90 percent of the time.

When they examined all 10 brain signal patterns at once, they were able to pick out the correct word any one signal represented only 28 percent to 48 percent of the time – better than chance (which would have been 10 percent) but not good enough for a device to translate a paralyzed person's thoughts into words spoken by a computer.