The Children’s Hemiplegia and Stroke Association (CHASA) has teamed with researchers at the Center for Brain Plasticity and Recovery (CBPR) at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, DC to recruit participants for a research study. Researchers are studying the effects of childhood stroke on cognitive and language abilities. Drs. Elissa Newport, Alexander Dromerick, Anna Greenwald, and their colleagues are studying language and cognitive abilities in children and teenagers who have had a stroke at birth or during early childhood. They are interested in discovering how well children recover from early strokes and which brain areas take over for stroke-damaged areas during recovery. To do so, they give children some tasks involving language, visual-spatial skills, and movement. During some of the tasks, they take detailed brain pictures with an fMRI scanner. No radiation or needles are involved! Understanding which brain areas are best at taking over after a stroke will allow them in the future to develop better treatments for children who experience strokes.
You and your child can help with this important research! The team is looking for children over the age of 7 who have had a stroke early in life. Adult stroke patients, siblings and friends of stroke patients are also welcome! They are happy to help arrange transportation to and from Georgetown University Medical Center. Siblings may come and play in the CBPR’s child-friendly waiting areas. Participants will be paid for their time.
If you are willing to participate, please email cbpr@georgetown.edu or call 202-687-3727. To find out more about research studies at the Center for Brain Plasticity and Recovery, please visit www.cbpr.georgetown.edu.
