脳損傷からの回復

My Story of Recovery from Brain Damage

筆者は失語症や半側空間無視などの高次脳機能障害の臨床と研究を37年間続けてきた言語聴覚士である。神戸大学で高次脳機能障害学を教えていた2009年7月，任地神戸市内で心原性脳梗塞に襲われ，左片麻痺と専門領域の多様な高次脳機能障害を抱えることになった。その後，知識のあるリハビリテーション専門家の当事者（「当事者セラピスト」）として自分の障害に対応したので，現時点では当初の問題点のうち，利き手である左手の麻痺以外は消失している。本論は発症からの筆者の回復物語である。大きな特徴として，算盤の達人として発症前に得意としていた数字課題（計算，数唱）に関する脳内情報処理過程のfMRI研究を述べた。

Abstract

The author (hereafter referred to as I) is a speech-language-hearing pathologist and former professor of neuropsychology at Kobe University, who had been engaged in neuropsychological rehabilitation and research of conditions, such as aphasia and unilateral spatial neglect, for 37 years. In July 2009, I experienced right hemispheric infarction in Kobe City, and developed left-sided hemiparesis and various symptoms of cognitive dysfunctions, which was previously my field of expertise. As a neuropsychological rehabilitation expert, I focused my efforts on recovery and I have recovered the majority of my cognitive and neurologic functions. This is my story of recovery from stroke, in which functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies of my arithmetic ability are described. I had been an excellent abacus user with brilliant achievements since elementary school. Premorbidly, I could use the right hemisphere of my brain to visualize a clear image of an abacus. However, my ability to visualize the abacus disappeared following the stroke. Two experiments were conducted involving calculation and digit memory tasks using fMRI. This may be the most important aspect of my story. My recovery process for other cognitive deficits is also delineated here.