A new study by researchers from the University of Queensland hints at new hope for adults (and possibly children) with communication disorders. Researchers, Dr David Copland, Dr Katie McMahon and Dr Greig de Zubicaray with Professor Peter Silburn performed MRI studies of the brains of healthy individuals. Language tasks performed with the introduction of the drug Levodopa were analyzed. The Levodopa increases dopamine, a known neurotransmitter in the brain.
Findings included improved the speed of language processing in regions of the brain associated with language and through activating brain regions more commonly associated with attention. The full study was published in Cerebral Cortex.
This new research has exciting implications for both adults and children! Let’s keep our fingers crossed!
