After a stroke, even areas of the brain that are not directly impacted by the injury can show signs of accelerated aging. Stroke can also lead to conditions such as a language disorder called aphasia, which is highly variable among individuals in severity and treatment outlook. New in JNeurosci , Nicholas Riccardi, Leonardo Bonilha, and colleagues, from the University of South Carolina Floyd School of Medicine, advanced understanding of how brain aging in uninjured areas relates to aphasia severity and recovery following treatment.
The researchers used an online system trained on large human brain aging datasets to measure how each person's brain structure deviates from typical aging in individuals without stroke. In 188 people with stroke, aging differences in the side of the brain that was not directly injured by the stroke could explain aphasia severity independently of the size or location of the stroke injury. Furthermore, in patients who completed speech therapy paired with noninvasive brain stimulation, brain aging patterns measured before treatment predicted improvements in language 6 months after therapy ended.
According to the researchers, this work provides a framework for linking normal aging models with poststroke severity and treatment success, which may be critical for informing more precise brain rehabilitation strategies. Adds Riccardi, "This work suggests that recovery potential after stroke depends on the health of the rest of the brain, which is partly shaped by treatable factors like cardiovascular health. Second, because everything here came from a single routine scan and a free online tool, this could realistically reach a variety of clinical or research settings one day."
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About JNeurosci
JNeurosci was launched in 1981 as a means to communicate the findings of the highest quality neuroscience research to the growing field. Today, the journal remains committed to publishing cutting-edge neuroscience that will have an immediate and lasting scientific impact, while responding to authors' changing publishing needs, representing breadth of the field and diversity in authorship.
About The Society for Neuroscience
The Society for Neuroscience is the world's largest organization of scientists and physicians devoted to understanding the brain and nervous system. The nonprofit organization, founded in 1969, now has nearly 35,000 members in more than 95 countries.
JNeurosci
10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2058-25.2026
People
The Influence of Contralesional Brain Age Gradients on Chronic Stroke Aphasia Severity and Treatment Response
28-Sep-2026
The authors declare no competing financial interests.