Aphasia
Broadcast starting week of July 3, 2007

This week, The Infinite Mind looks at aphasia, when words disappear. 

Aphasia is the terrifying loss of language: destruction of speech, reading, writing or comprehension. It occurs when there is damage to the brain from a stroke, head trauma, certain neurological diseases, that has affected the language areas of their brain. 

Guests include neurologist David Caplan, mezzo-soprano Jan Curtis, science historian Anne Harrington, speech pathologist Audrey Holland, stroke survivor Tom Flynn and researcher and neurologist Steven Small.  Commentary by John Hockenberry.

To begin, The Infinite Mind’s Nina Mitchell visits with two aphasia patients.

Dr. Fred Goodwin talks with Dr. David Caplan, a Harvard neurologist, to understand where the language centers are, and what aphasia has taught scientists about the brain. To learn more about Dr. David Caplan, visit his webpage at the Massachusetts General Hospital.

Next, we chat with, and listen to, renowned mezzo-soprano Jan Curtis, who lost much of her speech from a stroke, but still maintains the capacity to sing as she used to, beautifully. For information on Jan Curtis,click here.

Harvard historian of science Dr. Anne Harrington talks about the way aphasia was discovered in the 1800s, and its resistance from religious figures. If language was localized, in a specific part of the brain, where was the soul? To learn more about Dr. Anne Harrington, visit her Harvard webpage.

We discuss with Dr. Audrey Holland, a professor of speech pathology at the University of Arizona, how speech therapists treat aphasia. To learn about Dr. Audrey Holland, visit her University of Arizona webpage.

Tom Flynn, is a high level patient who just occasionally slips up.  He tells us what aphasia has done to his relationship with his wife. And for futuristic treatment options, we speak with neurologist Dr. Steven Small of the University of Chicago, who envisions placing patients in fMRIs to see where their brains light up, so that they can have the most useful speech therapy treatment possible. To learn more about Dr. Steven Small, visit his University of Chicago webpage.

Finally, commentary from John Hockenberry, who rarely is silent. For more information about aphasia, visit the National Aphasia Association 

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