[Imaging aphasia]

Language is organized in a left-lateralized temporo-frontal network. This network organization enables the brain to reorganize language functions to compensate the deficit after focal brain damage, e.g. ischemic stroke. Clinically, we often observe a high functional dynamic in language performance within the first few days after stroke with a slower improvement in the further course. This suggests that distinct neuronal mechanisms contribute to the functional improvement during the different phases. This article describes how structural and functional MRI methods contribute to understanding loss and recovery of language functions after stroke. In addition, the method of pattern recognition techniques is introduced to demonstrate how language recovery can be predicted from early language fMRI data.