Above: Neuroscientist Swathi Kiran shows some tools used in therapies for people with aphasia.
BU centers blend cutting-edge science, therapy, and community in the fight against aphasia
Imagine waking after a stroke and finding yourself struggling to read a sentence. That’s the reality for nearly two million Americans living with aphasia—a neurological disorder that impairs speaking, reading, and writing, but not intelligence. Most often caused by strokes or brain hemorrhages, aphasia has no known cure.
BU researchers have played a pivotal role in aphasia care, developing new diagnostics and deepening understanding of neuroplasticity—the brain’s ability to rewire itself to process language after injury. Maura Silverman, executive director of the National Aphasia Association, calls BU’s integration of progressive science and therapy “a model for the larger aphasia community.”
The Aphasia Resource Center (ARC) at Sargent College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences and the Center for Brain Recovery (CBR) help patients manage the condition through therapy, science, and community. Many also take part in research, shaping new studies, training future clinicians, and benefiting from research breakthroughs.
One recent study explored how bilingual patients recover language. ARC research director and CBR founding director Swathi Kiran and colleagues used machine learning to predict treatment outcomes in English-and-Spanish speakers recovering from stroke, taking into account individual factors to forecast improvement.
“With the rise in the Hispanic population in the US and the higher risk of stroke in this community, finding effective and efficient therapies for these adults is even more important,” says Kiran, who won the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s top honor in 2024.
By combining research and connection, BU is helping people with aphasia turn silence into strength and discovery into healing.