Neuroplasticity and Rehabilitation
Research for Speech, Language,
Leslie J. Gonzalez Rothi
Brain Rehabilitation Research Center,
Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Gainesville,
FL, and University of Florida, Gainesville
Nan Musson
Veterans Affairs Medical Center,
Gainesville, FL
John C. Rosenbek
University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
Christine M. Sapienza
Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Gainesville,
FL, and University of Florida,
Gainesville, FL
S222 Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research
and Swallowing Disorders
SUPPLEMENT
Purpose: This article introduces a collection of consensus statements regarding the
application of neuroplasticity principles to rehabilitation of dysphagia, dysarthria,
apraxia, and aphasia.
KEY WORDS: rehabilitation, plasticity, research, recovery
The key to treating is to encourage the brain to change (Kolb, 2006)
T
his article introduces a collection of consensus statements reflect-
ing the thinking of approximately 50 scientists who convened in
Gainesville, Florida, April 1012, 2005, to discuss and promote in-
vestigations that operationalize translation of experience-dependent neuro-
plasticity principles identified in basic research to the case of human
neurorehabilitation. Particular interest was paid to the application of
neuroplasticity principles to rehabilitation of dysphagia, dysarthria,
apraxia, and aphasia.
This initial meeting established small, working research planning
groups to establish platforms for selected rehabilitation research projects
in speech, language, and swallowing disorders due to neurological diseases
and injury. Additionally, the groups were challenged to catalyze dissem-
ination of information to others who may be interested in partnering in this
initiative.
The Promoting Neuroplasticity in Speech Language Swallowing
(PNSLS) meeting began with presentations aimed at identifying the need,
value and barriers to translational research ( Paul Hoffman, Director of
Department of Veterans Affairs [ DVA] Translational Neuroscience Re-
search Program and Professor of Neuroscience at University of Florida,
Gainesville, and Doug Anderson, Chair of Neuroscience at University of
Florida and VA Career Research Scientist, Gainesville, FL). A presentation
by Leslie Gonzalez Rothi, coordinator of the PNSLS conference, emphasized
the finding that the time lag between discovery and human application
in any corner of medicine has been estimated to be an average of about
17 years ( Balas & Boren, 2000). Rothi challenged the workgroups to de-
sign strategic plans to sharply reduce that lag in the domains of aphasia,
dysarthria, and dysphagia rehabilitation.
Subsequent didactic presentations focused on identifying current
principles of experience-dependent neuroplasticity recommended as best
Vol. 51 S222S224 February 2008 D American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
1092-4388/08/5101-S222
candidates for translation (Jeffrey Kleim, Coordinator
of the Translational Research Initiative for the Brain
Rehabilitation Research Center, and Associate Profes-
sor of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, and
Theresa Jones, Associate Professor of Psychology, Insti-
tute for Neuroscience Research at The University of Texas
at Austin). In their presentations, neuroplasticity was de-
fined as functional reorganization /compensation within
residual neural tissue, mediated by changes in neural
circuitry. The information presented in this talk is sum-
marized in the lead article ( Kleim & Jones, 2008) in the
collection of articles that follows.
Work groups targeting dysphagia, dysarthria, and
aphasia then met individually to (a) identify the present
status of neurorehabilitative efforts in their respective
domains in light of these translational principles, ( b) de-
sign an action plan describing methods that embrace
translational research, (c) suggest experimental rehabil-
itative models that could be designed, tested, and pro-
duced in light of functional outcomes, (d) describe a plan
to educate and encourage others in the field to target
similar principles in their research, and (e) describe a
plan to encourage applied clinical scientists and transla-
tional neuroscientists to collaborate in ways that inform
bidirectionally. Subgroup members are indicated in the
Appendix.
In addition to engaging in strategic planning, the
work groups were also charged with generating a white
paper to summarize their discussions and also to reflect
follow-up thinking. In some cases, subsets of the original
work group participated as authors of articles included
in this collection. Additionally, it should be noted that
the needs of each topic area (dysphagia, dysarthria, and
aphasia) differed. Thus, although a good deal of commonality
can be found across the strategic plans of these work
groups, differences are also evident. It is the hope of the
PNSLS conference attendees and organizers that these
consensus statements will serve to encourage research-
ers and educators to expand our views of the future
directions of our field; to incorporate, participate in, and
embrace the research of allied fields that may inform us
about our own field; and to realize that if the findings of
animal and human research reveal principles, then their
truth must be tested from multiple perspectives. Only
after the principles have completed the process of trans-
lation from basic science to clinical viewpoints, and from
clinical to basic science viewpoints, will we be able to
consider them robust and enduring in light of contem-
porary knowledge. Only then can we have reasonable
confidence that their application will yield the most po-
tent effects possible reaped from our efforts to improve
the communication lives of those we serve.
Acknowledgments
This project was supported, in part, by the Office of Re-
search and Development, Rehabilitation Research and Devel-
opment Service, Department of Veterans Affairs, and by the
Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Uni-
versity of Florida. The PNSLS organizing committee included
Nan Musson, John C. Rosenbek, Christine Sapienza, and
Leslie Gonzalez Rothi.
References
Balas, E. A., & Boren, S. A. (2000). Managing clinical knowl-
edge for health care improvement. Yearbook of medical
informatics. In J. Bemmel & A. T. McCray ( Eds.), Yearbook
of Medical Informatics ( pp. 6570). Stuttgart, Germany:
Schattauer Publishing.
Kolb, B. (2006). Stimulating functional recovery after stroke.
Seminar presented at the Annual Meeting of the Interna-
tional Neuropsychological Society, Boston, MA.
Received February 9, 2006
Revision received December 6, 2007
Accepted December 12, 2007
DOI: 10.1044/1092-4388(2008/017)
Contact author: Leslie J. Gonzalez Rothi, Brain Rehabilitation
Research Center-151a, VA Medical Center, 1601 SWArcher Rd,
Gainesville, FL 32618. E-mail: gonzalj@neurology.uf l.edu.
Gonzalez Rothi et al.: Rehabilitation Neuroscience S223
Appendix. Subgroup members.

The Swallowing Work Group was led by JoAnne Robbins and included Stephanie Daniels, Roxanne Diez Gross, Susan Hiss, Susan Langmore, Cathy L. Lazarus,
Bonnie Martin-Harris, Daniel McCabe, Nan Musson, and John (Jay) C. Rosenbek ( VA/UF PNSLS facilitator).
The Motor Speech Disorders Work Group was led by Christy L. Ludlow and included Jeanette Hoit, Raymond Kent, Lorraine O. Ramig, Christine M. Sapienza
( VA/UF PNSLS facilitator), Rahul Shrivastav, Anne Smith, Elaine Stathopoulos, Edythe Strand, and Kathryn Yorkston.
The Language Work Group was led by Anastasia M. Raymer and included Lori Altmann, Pelagie Beeson, Mary Boyle, Tim Conway, Mike deRiesthal, Jackie
Hinckley, Audrey Holland, Alex Johnson, Kevin Kearns, Diane Kendall, Lynn M. Maher, Nadine Martin, Sharon Moss, Laura Murray, Brenda Rapp,
Randall Robey, Miranda Rose, Leslie Gonzalez Rothi ( VA/UF PNSLS facilitator), Nina Simmons-Mackie, and Cynthia K. Thompson.
Pre- and postdoctoral fellows from the University of Florida, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Department of Communicative
Disorders, and elsewhere participated in the workings of each group and were specifically invited to participate in hopes of encouraging new investigators to
this mission. These fellows included Lori Burkhead, Chris Carmichael, Neila Donovan, Charles Ellis, Bethany Hieber, Amber Hollingsworth, William Hula,
Harrison Jones, Susan Leon, Amy Rodriguez, and Karen Wheeler. Senior research methodologist consultants included Audrey Holland, Kevin Kearns,
Malcom McNeil, and Randall Robey.

S224 Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research Vol. 51 S222S224 February 2008