Communication deficits after neurological impairments occur in high percentages of the population, create an extremely heterogeneous population that includes people with aphasia, traumatic brain injury, primary progressive aphasia and dementia, and often require long term rehabilitation that is not always practical or accessible. In the past, diagnosis and rehabilitation of communication deficits has relied on paper and pencil tasks. Technological innovations have changed the fabric of our daily lives today; it is increasingly clear that technology can also help clinicians better diagnose and rehabilitate individuals with cognitive and communication deficits. This technology has included but is not limited to neuroimaging techniques, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), Transcranial Electrical Stimulation (TDCS), and cloud-based software running on computers and tablets. Recent work highlights potential benefits from these technologies, such as (a) the use of structural and functional imaging technology to improve diagnosis and assessment of the communication deficits, (b) TDCS and TMS have been used to enhance the effects of behavioral rehabilitation, (c) cloud- or web-based software running on computers and tablets have provided alternate resources for remote and tele-rehabilitation as well as novel tools for Alternative and Augmentative Communication. All of these technological approaches have allowed for a more versatile, precise and adaptive tools to diagnose and rehabilitate communication deficits. However, there is a need for more research that describes applications of such technology in clinical practice so that the clinical use of these technologies can progress.
The aim of this Research Topic is to bring together research using these different technologies to advance diagnosis and rehabilitation of cognitive and communication deficits. Researchers are encouraged to submit a paper (options: clinical case study, clinical trial, methodological advances, original research, novel theoretical or conceptual perspectives, and reviews). Research methodology can include behavioral and/or neuroimaging techniques, and studies can either be clinical group studies or case studies. It is hoped that the exchange among scientists using different technologies for diagnosis and rehabilitation of communication deficits will provide advancement in the utilization of these technologies in further research and clinical practices.
Communication deficits after neurological impairments occur in high percentages of the population, create an extremely heterogeneous population that includes people with aphasia, traumatic brain injury, primary progressive aphasia and dementia, and often require long term rehabilitation that is not always practical or accessible. In the past, diagnosis and rehabilitation of communication deficits has relied on paper and pencil tasks. Technological innovations have changed the fabric of our daily lives today; it is increasingly clear that technology can also help clinicians better diagnose and rehabilitate individuals with cognitive and communication deficits. This technology has included but is not limited to neuroimaging techniques, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), Transcranial Electrical Stimulation (TDCS), and cloud-based software running on computers and tablets. Recent work highlights potential benefits from these technologies, such as (a) the use of structural and functional imaging technology to improve diagnosis and assessment of the communication deficits, (b) TDCS and TMS have been used to enhance the effects of behavioral rehabilitation, (c) cloud- or web-based software running on computers and tablets have provided alternate resources for remote and tele-rehabilitation as well as novel tools for Alternative and Augmentative Communication. All of these technological approaches have allowed for a more versatile, precise and adaptive tools to diagnose and rehabilitate communication deficits. However, there is a need for more research that describes applications of such technology in clinical practice so that the clinical use of these technologies can progress.
The aim of this Research Topic is to bring together research using these different technologies to advance diagnosis and rehabilitation of cognitive and communication deficits. Researchers are encouraged to submit a paper (options: clinical case study, clinical trial, methodological advances, original research, novel theoretical or conceptual perspectives, and reviews). Research methodology can include behavioral and/or neuroimaging techniques, and studies can either be clinical group studies or case studies. It is hoped that the exchange among scientists using different technologies for diagnosis and rehabilitation of communication deficits will provide advancement in the utilization of these technologies in further research and clinical practices.