Maurizio Corbetta, MD

A common physiological phenotype of abnormal network connectivity predicts multiple behavioral impairments in stroke

Deficits following stroke are classically attributed to focal damage, but recent evidence suggests a key role of distributed brain network disruption.  I will discuss the results of a new study in which we measured resting functional connectivity (FC), lesion topography MRI, and behavior in multiple domains (attention, memory, language, motor, visual) in a large cohort of stroke patients at 2 weeks, and used machine-learning to predict neurological impairment in individual subjects.  We identified a general behaviorally relevant pattern of physiological network dysfunction consisting of a loss of inter-hemispheric coherence and an increase of intra-hemispheric coherence. Coherence of regions with a high participation coefficient (hubs) predicted deficits across behavioral domains while network-specific patterns of coherence predicted deficits in specific behavioral domains. However, attention and memory were better predicted by FC whereas visual and motor impairments were better predicted by lesion topography. These results link key organizational features of brain networks to brain-behavior relationships in stroke.

Mindy Aisen, MD

Thank you Dr. Ken Viste for starting it all:
Neurological Rehabilitation in the late 20th and early 21st Centuries:
Where we are, where we have been, and where we are going

Historical review of rehabilitation approaches; the transformative impact of neuroscientists entering the debate and the clinical arena; the role of technology in fostering intensive/task specific/engaging practice for genuine recovery; new frontiers (including neuro-modulation, dynamic brain imaging, e-health); and the new role for neuro-rehabilitation under the Affordable Care Act.

A.M. Barrett, MD

A.M. Barrett, MD, FANA, trained in neurology with specialization in behavioral neurology. She is Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Rutgers-New Jersey Medical School and directs the Stroke Rehabilitation Research Program at the Kessler Foundation Research Center. Her research focuses on spatial cognition in relation to impairments and functional recovery after right hemisphere damage from stroke, has been funded over the years by the NIH and NIDRR, and has resulted in over 100 publications. She is the recipient of numerous awards including the Norman Geschwind Prize of the American Academy of Neurology and the Early Career Award of the International Neuropsychological Society. She has been a prominent leader in our field, having served as ASNR President from 2010-2012 and being current Chair of the Neural Repair and Rehabilitation Section of the American Academy of Neurology. She is also very active in advocacy for neurological rehabilitation.

Steven Wolf, PT, PhD

Steven Wolf, PT, PhD, FAPTA, FAHA, trained in physical therapy and is Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine at Emory University School of Medicine as well as Research Health Scientist at the Atlanta VA Rehabilitation R&D Center for Visual and Neurocognitive Rehabilitation. Dr. Wolf’s distinguished career in rehabilitation spans over 40 years. He has achieved iconic status by virtue of his sustained productivity and peerless impact. He has well over 200 publications, has edited or co-edited 8 books, and has led multiple research programs from traditional laboratory-based projects to large, multi-center clinical trials. His work, ranging across a variety of topics in neurorehabilitation, has been supported by 66 grants from various agencies. Among his publications is the primary outcome paper for the EXCITE trial, voted by an international panel to be one of the top 15 rehabilitation research papers of all time. He has garnered numerous awards, including the John Maley Award for Leadership in Physical Therapy Research and the Living Legend Award of the American Physical Therapy Association. His lengthy record of service includes service on many study sections and the NCMRR Council, and current service on the ASNR Board and the Editorial Board of Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair.