Recovery from anomia following Semantic Feature Analysis: Therapy-induced neuroplasticity relies upon a circuit involving motor and language processing areas

Our previous work (Marcotte et al., 2012) reported neurofunctional changes associated with recovery from anomia following Semantic Feature Analysis (SFA) in a group of participants with moderate to severe chronic anomia, providing evidence of therapy-induced neuroplasticity in chronic aphasia. The activation patterns observed concurrently with the recovery of naming suggest that SFA triggers the recruitment of an alternative pathway involving the left precentral gyrus and the left inferior parietal lobule, both of which are part of the Mirror Neuron System (MNS). SFA’s potential role in triggering the recruitment of the MNS is discussed, in line with Embodied Cognition Theory and other theoretical frameworks opening a window on aphasia therapy issues and the intricate links between motor and language processing.