USC Speech Neuroscience Laboratory

Psychologists, Social Workers, and Counselors: How Can They Help?

Tomorrow, PD Health is offering a webinar through their Home December Wellness Wednesday program. Tomorrow's webinar will cover the role a mental health practitioner plays in helping Parkinson's management.

Use the link below to register for free!

This event will take place 12/2 at 1pm ET.

https://www.parkinson.org/events/2020/PDHealth/WW21

parkinson.org The Parkinson’s Foundation makes life better for people with Parkinson’s disease by improving care and advancing research toward a cure.

Aphasia Caregiver Guide - National Aphasia Association

https://www.aphasia.org/aphasia-resources/aphasia-caregiver-guide/

Use this link to access a free download provided by NPA. This download is an aphasia caregiver guide that aids caregivers during their journey of caring for their loved one with aphasia. All you have to do is fill out your email address and a PDF will be sent directly to your inbox!

aphasia.org What if there was a book that could guide you through caregiving ...

10 Strategies to Thrive with Parkinson’s Disease during a Pandemic

Parkinson's Disease Resource - Wellness Wednesdays!

Use the link to sign up for a webinar via Zoom. No charge to attend!

Today, Amy M. Chesire, LCSW-R, MSG from the University of Rochester, will be leading today's seminar. She'll be talking strategies and coping mechanisms.
https://www.parkinson.org/events/2020/PDHealth/WW18

parkinson.org The Parkinson’s Foundation makes life better for people with Parkinson’s disease by improving care and advancing research toward a cure.

According to the Parkinson's foundation, November is National Family Caregivers Month.

It is imperative to recognize and appreciate all that our caregivers and families do for our participants, friends, family, and fellow members of our community.

If you are reading this and you are a caregiver for someone with PD, thank you! Your dedication and compassion does not go unnoticed.

Why stroke matters

Yesterday, October 29th, was World Stroke Day.

"Did you know 14.5 million people will have a stroke this year, and 5.5 million people will die as a result?"

Check out World Stroke Organization's website for more information about stroke statistics, prevention, treatment, and more! This is a great resource you can use to stay educated on strokes.

https://www.world-stroke.org/world-stroke-day-campaign/why-stroke-matters

world-stroke.org A stroke can happen to anyone, at anytime and anywhere. Today stroke is the leading cause of disability worldwide and the second leading cause of death, but almost all strokes could be prevented.

ABC - Aging Brain Cohort at USC

Nature is spectacular. Don’t these turtle shells look like brain images!? Happy Halloween weekend to all. Stay safe.

Podcast: Substantial Matters

Parkinson's disease resource!!!

Dan Keller, PhD, is the host of the podcast "Substantial Matters: Life and Science of Parkinson’s". Dr. Keller interviews Parkinson's experts each episode to highlight all of the important things one should know about PD.

Episodes are around 20 minutes, so whether you listen on your way to work or on your daily walk, this podcast is a quick, but functional way to consume relevant information about PD.

You can access this podcast on platforms like Spotify or Apple podcasts and on your Alexa devices! Or click the link below to find an online playlist of the most recently recorded episodes.

https://www.parkinson.org/Living-with-Parkinsons/Resources-and-Support/Podcast

parkinson.org The Parkinson’s Foundation makes life better for people with Parkinson’s disease by improving care and advancing research toward a cure.

Mark your calendars because the National Aphasia Association is holding a virtual meeting October 21st to discuss best past Halloween costumes! 🎃

This is an awesome way to connect with others who have aphasia, caregivers, and professionals.

If you have a friend or patient who is looking to practice a new communication strategy with an unfamiliar listener, this video chat is a great opportunity to do so.

Aphasia ID Builder

Aphasia resource!!!

Do you know someone professionally or personally who is diagnosed with aphasia and has difficulty communicating with others?
Use the link below to help make them a FREE personalized aphasia ID online. You can personalize this picture card with their information and print it out for them to carry. This is a great tool that can ease communication breakdowns with someone who is unfamiliar with aphasia.

http://aphasiaid.com/

aphasiaid.com Create a personalized Aphasia ID that you can print and start carrying right away. This is a great way to ease communication awkwardness, especially for people who are unfamiliar with aphasia.

This is awesome, Dr. Fridriksson👍

Julius Fridriksson broke records in 2016 when he won one of the largest research grants the University of South Carolina had ever seen: $11.2 million from the NIH/NIDCD to establish the Center for the Study of Aphasia Recovery (C-STAR). In its next phase, C-STAR will expand its work with a $12.5 million grant to include two new clinical trials and two large projects to improve recovery for stroke survivors. https://bit.ly/3nB8wFE
Aphasia Lab-USC Uofsc Research Degrees of Health

Happy Monday everyone!

Fun fact: your brain is made up of 100 billion neurons and the Amazon rainforest is made up of 100 billion trees. Each neuron in your brain is connected to ~10,000 others, which is the same as the number of leaves in the Amazon.

Do you know how much that equates to?

A QUADRILLION. Or 1,000 trillion brain connections/1,000 trillion leaves.

UofSC's ABC lab is currently looking for more participants!!

ATTENTION: Columbia SC and surrounding areas! We are looking for participants to fill our final spots in the COVID-19 study. We especially need participants ages 70-80!

News - Arnold School of Public Health | University of South Carolina

We have some amazing members in our lab who have been doing some amazing things in the research world.

We have recently updated our lab page's website, so please click the link below to see what we have been doing! We would also love to hear what everyone has been up to as well!! Happy Friday.

https://sc.edu/study/colleges_schools/public_health/research/research_areas/communication_sciences_and_disorders/speech_neuroscience_lab/news/index.php

sc.edu August, 2020 Our doctoral student, Stacey Sangtian, was selected for a 2020 Academy of Neurologic Communication Disorders and Sciences (ANCDS) Student Fellowship Award. Individuals who receive this award must be full-time speech-language pathology students specializing in clinical neurologically bas...

As you know, our lab is temporarily closed due to COVID-19.

It seems like forever since we have seen each other, but we will all get through this together!

Whether you are a student doing class remotely or you are working full-time from home, here are some tips from us on how to make the most out of your work day!

We miss seeing everyone at the lab on campus, but we hope you are enjoying the fall weather!

Rainy days are the perfect days to stay updated with the latest research!

Click this link to read more about a newly published research article that Dr. Behroozmand and Doc student Karim Johari collaborated on.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00221-020-05832-9

In the Speech Neuroscience lab we research:

-Neural Mechanisms of Speech Production and Motor Control

-Functional Neuroimaging

-Speech Disorder in Post-Stroke Aphasia

-Speech Disorder in Parkinson’s Disease

-Speech Disorder Treatment using High-Definition Neurostimulation Technology (HD-tDCS)

Effect of deep brain stimulation on vocal motor control mechanisms in Parkinson's disease

We are very proud of our director, Roozbeh Behroozmand, and our doctoral student, Karim Johari, for being some of the investigators in this now published study!

If you are interested in learning more about the effect of deep brain stimulation on vocal motor control mechanisms in Parkinson's disease, then this article is for you!!

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1353802019300951

sciencedirect.com Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) is an effective treatment for limb motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD); however, …

Meet our amazing and hard working doctoral student, Stacey! :)

Stacey Sangtian is an ASHA-certified speech-language pathologist who earned her B.S. from the College of Charleston and her M.S.P. from the University of South Carolina. During her master's, Stacey was the recipient of an ASHA SPARC Award, the MSP Outstanding Student Award in Communication Sciences and Disorders, and was selected to participate in the ASHA Minority Student Leadership Program. As the new doctoral student in the lab, Stacey's research is working toward understanding the brain mechanisms of speech motor control and their impairment in patients with post-stroke aphasia. Stacey hopes to use her clinical experiences to inform her approach in addressing clinically relevant research questions in the field.

If you are interested in participating in our studies, you will have the great pleasure of working directly with Stacey!

Meet our brilliant director of our lab, Roozbeh Behroozmand, PhD. Along with being the Director of Speech Neuroscience Lab in the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina, Dr. Behroozmand is an Assistant Professor of Communication Disorders.

He has background in Biomedical Engineering and Neuroscience and his research is focused on investigating the neural bases of speech production and motor control in the human brain.

Dr. Behroozmand's lab utilizes a wide range of techniques including electrophysiology (EEG, ERP, ECoG), functional neuroimaging (fMRI) and high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) to study sensory-motor mechanisms of speech in healthy individuals and patients with neurological disorders.

The ultimate goal of this research is to gain knowledge that can be translated into the development of novel diagnosis and clinical treatment methods to enhance speech communication and improve quality of life in patients with speech disorders.

If you are interested in our research, please send us a message. We are currently booking volunteers after the New Year when the University reopens. Happy Holidays everyone!!

We are currently seeking volunteers to participate in a new research study that looks into the effect of brain stimulation on speech and hand movement in Parkinson’s disease (please see flyer attached). This study involves one session lasting approximately 2.5 hours during which you will complete a few brief pencil/paper examinations, then you will receive 20 minutes of brain stimulation and your brain activity will be recorded using scalp electrodes during a speech production and button press task. Participants will be paid $10/hour for their time.

If you are interested and meet all of our requirements, please send us a private message and we can schedule you to participate!

Right now our lab is seeking healthy volunteers, age 40 years and older with normal speech and hearing and no history of neurological or psychiatric disorders, to better understand the brain mechanisms of speech production. Participants will perform a variety of speech production tasks while their brain activity is recorded using a non-invasive technique called electroencephalography (EEG). They will also wear a microphone so that their speech can be recorded, and earphones so that they can hear themselves speak.

This study consists of 2 sessions, each lasting approximately 3 hours. You will be compensated $10/hour for your time. If you are interested, please send us a private message and we can schedule you to participate!