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Bruce Crosson, PhD

Bruce Crosson, PhD
Department of Clinical & Health Psychology
University of Florida Health Science Center
Box 100165
Gainesville FL 32610-0165
Telephone 1: (352) 265-0490
E-mail: bcrosson@hp.ufl.edu

Academic Title and Affiliations:	Professor of Clinical & Health Psychology and Neurology University of Florida
Academic Title and Affiliations:	Research Investigator North Florida/ South Georgia Veterans Health System
Biosketch:	Bruce Crosson received his Ph.D. in Psychology from Texas Tech University in 1978. Currently, he is Professor of Clinical & Health Psychology and Neurology at the University of Florida and a University of Florida Research Foundation Professor (2000-2003). He is Head of Functional Neuroimaging in Rehabilitation for the University of Florida College of Health Professions and Coordinator of the Functional Neuroimaging Initiative at the BRRC. At present, Dr. Crosson serves as Associate Editor for the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society. He is boarded in Clinical Neuropsychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology and served on the Board of Directors for the American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology from 1996 until 2001. Dr. Crosson has been awarded the status of Fellow by the Division of Clinical Neuropsychology of the American Psychological Association. He is also a member of the International Neuropsychological Society, the Society for Neuroscience, the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology, and the Organization for Human Brain Mapping. He served on the VA Merit Review Subcommittee for Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences from 1998 until 2001.
Research interests and projects:	Dr. Crosson's research interests lie at the intersection between language and other cognitive processes. In particular, his current research focuses the interface between intention, attention, and language. Currently, he pursues this research through studies of treatment for aphasia, through functional neuroimaging studies, and through study of subcortical functions in language. His study of the Treatment of Intention and Attention in Aphasia is currently funded by NIDCD as a part of Dr. Rothi's Program Project Grant on Treatment of Aphasia and Related Disorders. His interest in functional neuroimaging in rehabilitation extends not only to verification of brain system changes that occur as a function of rehabilitation but also to testing conceptual models of brain rehabilitation using fMRI. Dr. Crosson also has pursued research on the organization of semantic systems in the brain and how these systems interact with language systems. He recently received a McKnight grant to map semantic memory functions in younger and older normal adults.
	UF to Study New Therapy for Language Problems Caused by Stroke Jill Pease 11/07/2007 University of Florida researchers have received a $900,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health to study a new treatment for language problems that commonly occur after a stroke. Led by Bruce Crosson, Ph.D., a professor of clinical and health psychology at the UF College of Public Health and Health Professions, the research team will investigate the effectiveness of a new therapy for the language disorder known as nonfluent aphasia. Patients with nonfluent aphasia have trouble finding the right words to communicate their meaning, speaking in sentences or saying more than one or two words without stopping. About 750,000 Americans experience a stroke annually, according to the National Stroke Association. "Approximately 25 percent of strokes are associated with aphasia and only 21 percent of these patients eventually recover normal language function," Crosson said. "Thus, it is estimated that more than 1 million Americans experience chronic aphasia that substantially limits their ability to work, affects relationships with friends and family and degrades quality of life for survivors." Researchers will employ the concept of neuroplasticity - the idea that the brain can be reorganized so that other parts of the brain can take over lost functions. Because the left side of the brain is responsible for language in right-handed individuals, a stroke on the brain's left side can damage its language production centers. In the UF study, investigators will attempt to shift language production to the right side of the brain in patients with stroke. During the course of the study participants will complete a series of verbal exercises. Patients will be shown a series of pictures on a computer screen and will be asked to name the object. In a later phase of the study, they will be given a category, for example, "birds," and will be asked to name a member of that category, such as "robin." Some participants will initiate verbal exercises by pressing a button, and others will receive prompts to initiate their exercises. "The idea is to determine if one method of initiating verbal responses is better than the other at coaxing the brain to reorganize word production to its right side," Crosson said. To measure changes in right brain function, participants will undergo functional magnetic resonance imaging scans before therapy begins, at the end of the treatment period and three months after treatment is completed. The scans provide researchers with a view of which parts of the brain are active during speech. Home / CHP News / Alumni Spotlight / Alumni Update / Contact us Faculty in the Spotlight / Faculty from the Past Copyright © 2007 CHPAlumni..com^TM. All rights reserved.