Aphasia & Motor Speech Disorders Laboratory
Aphasia
Aphasia is a language disorder resulting from neurological damage, typically stroke. Reading, writing, speaking, and understanding language can all be affected to different degrees. There are many different types of aphasia, such as Broca’s aphasia or Wernicke’s aphasia. Although it has been studied for centuries, there remain many questions about recovery.
Motor Speech Disorders
Acquired motor speech disorders are a group of communication disorders resulting from neurological disease or damage. Motor speech disorders can either be a problem with speech production (dysarthria) or motor planning/programming (apraxia of speech). There are many different treatment approaches to dysarthria and apraxia of speech. Research continues to investigate effective interventions and to better understand the mechanisms that result in decreased speech intelligibility.
Our Research
Researchers in the Aphasia and Motor Speech Disorders Laboratory explore topics such as variables affecting recovery, intervention, community groups, aprosodia in dysarthric speakers and foreign accent syndrome. Learn more about our projects below.
Lab Director
Dr. Jacqueline Laures-Gore
Associate Professor
Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders
Lab Outreach
The SLP-Minded Podcast
In this episode, Dr. Laures-Gore discusses her current research in the area of depression and stress in people with aphasia and the various assessments SLPs have at their disposal. Don’t forget to download the References and Resources page on the podcast website at https://theslpmindedpodcast.podbean.com/!
How You Can Get Involved
If you or your loved one is living with aphasia, please contact Dr. Laures-Gore at jlaures@gsu.edu.
If you are an undergraduate or graduate student looking for research experience, contact Dr. Laures-Gore for more information.
Volunteer
We welcome Georgia State University undergraduate and graduate students wishing to gain more research experience. If you would like to volunteer to work in the lab, contact Dr. Laures-Gore at jlaures@gsu.edu
Graduate Research Assistantship
Research assistants have the opportunity to assist with current studies underway in the lab. Assistantships are offered to students annually on a competitive basis.
Research Projects
Students are encouraged to develop guided research projects under the supervision of Dr. Laures-Gore.  These projects are student-driven and do not require a formal committee.
Ph.D. in Neuroscience
If you are interested in a Ph.D. with Dr. Laures-Gore, please contact her.
Laboratory Research Projects
Current collaborative research projects (with Georgia Institute of Technology, Grady Memorial Hospital, St. Louis University, Boston University) Â include the following:
- Identifying Stress and Depression via the Speech Signal
- Diurnal Variation of Cortisol
- Perceived Stress in Aphasia
- Development of Stress and Coping Scales in Aphasia
Current research projects include the following:
- The use of an imagery app to improve naming in aphasia
- Mindfulness Meditation
Current collaborative research projects (with Grady Memorial Hospital, Northeastern University) include the following:
- Identifying dialectal markers in dysarthric speech
Our Director
Dr. Jacqueline Laures-Gore
e-mail:Â jlaures@gsu.edu
tel: 404-413-8299
Lab Director
Jacqueline Laures-Gore’s research is published in highly regarded journals, such as Journal of Speech-Language-Hearing Research, Aphasiology, Brain and Language and Topics in Stroke Rehabilitation. Current projects include stress and aphasia, alternative treatments in aphasia and the Atlanta Motor Speech Disorders Corpus. Her research projects have been funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Academy of Neurological Communication Disorders and Sciences.