Overview
Aphasia is a devastating communication disorder resulting from permanent damage to the language system of the brain. Although some degree of language recovery occurs over time, speech production remains a challenging task for these individuals. One intriguing phenomenon of the naming deficits with aphasia is that performance on particular items often fluctuates randomly. In a recent fMRI study, researchers applied novel pattern-based neuroimaging methods to predict success or failure of image identifying in undamaged cortical regions (mostly right lateralized network) of a patient with chronic aphasia. This study was the first to relate online neural activity to the behavioral naming performance during fMRI scanning.![Figure. 1. A. Contrast of the rationale for conventional univariate analysis versus MVPA in linking neural activity to behavior. B. Some of the candidate pictures chosen from an existing PNT test-retest data set. C. Anatomical lesion profile of patient KL.](https://images.ctfassets.net/hg121nxz9t5c/6c6RvXC7KEiM0W4ZE4hvm4/776d7c89070c7f54e8cd9369fc594240/1-s2.0-S0028393216304110-gr1_lrg.jpg?f=faces&q=15&fit=fill&w=560&h=279)
Figure. 1. A. Contrast of the rationale for conventional univariate analysis versus MVPA in linking neural activity to behavior. B. Some of the candidate pictures chosen from an existing PNT test-retest data set. These were presented during Phase 1 of behavioral sessions. C. Anatomical lesion profile of patient KL. An expansive lesion is shown in the left hemisphere encroaching the frontal, parietal, and temporal lobes.