# Center for the Study of Aphasia Recovery (C-STAR)

> **NIH NIH P50** · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA AT COLUMBIA · 2022 · $2,480,690

## Abstract

Summary: Overall section
Stroke is the leading cause of adult disability in the United States, making it a major public health concern (1).
Approximately a quarter of all chronic stroke survivors present with aphasia, a language disorder caused by
damage to the speech and language areas of the brain (3, 4). In a recently published report, Simmons-Mackie
(1) estimates that over two million people in North America are currently living with aphasia. Stroke is typically
thought to affect older persons; however, the incidence of stroke in younger individuals has been steadily
increasing (2). In fact, at least half of all stroke patients in the state of South Carolina are under the age of 60
(2). Aphasia can vary in severity from very profound impairment that renders patients mute and without the
ability to understand others’ speech, to milder forms where patients have great difficulty retrieving specific
words. In the chronic stage of stroke, aphasia has been identified as the strongest predictor of poor quality of
life. Aphasia not only influences the ability to communicate with family and friends, but also drastically
decreases education and employment opportunities. Although some degree of spontaneous recovery from
aphasia is typical in the first weeks and months following stroke, many patients are left with devastating
communication problems and never fully recover.
To address the need for studies improving long-term outcomes in aphasia, the Center for the Study of Aphasia
Recovery (C-STAR), funded for just under four years at the time of this application, has made great progress
towards understanding the mechanisms that promote spontaneous and therapy-induced recovery in aphasia.
The overarching goal of the research proposed in this renewal application is to maintain our focus on aphasia
therapy. Specifically, during the next funding phase, the focus of C-STAR is to improve access to aphasia
therapy, enhance the effect of behavioral aphasia therapy to promote an improved aphasia therapy outcome,
and understand overall health and neurolinguistic factors that influence aphasia recovery.
To accomplish our research goals, this project will continue to rely on collaboration among five main
investigators: Drs. Julius Fridriksson, Argye Hillis, Leonardo Bonilha, Chris Rorden, and Greg Hickok. Projects
led by Fridriksson (chronic patients) and Hillis (acute patients) will continue to focus on factors that may
promote improved outcome of aphasia therapy. Both projects have proven successful in yielding a vast, unique
dataset including measures of brain status and response to aphasia therapy. Relying on this dataset, Bonilha
and Rorden’s project will focus on the relationship between brain health and recovery from aphasia, whereas
Hickok will utilize the same data to better understand aphasic impairment in relation to aphasia therapy
success as well as new neurolinguistic models of speech and language processing.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10390284
- **Project number:** 5P50DC014664-07
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA AT COLUMBIA
- **Principal Investigator:** JULIUS FRIDRIKSSON
- **Activity code:** P50 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $2,480,690
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-04-01 → 2026-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10390284

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10390284, Center for the Study of Aphasia Recovery (C-STAR) (5P50DC014664-07). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10390284. Licensed CC0.

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