The vision of the lab encompasses a series of questions about the aging brain, communication, cognitive abilities in general and the transformation of this knowledge into evaluation tools and intervention strategies.

Human communication stems from a complex neurofunctional organization that relies on a neural network distributed over both hemispheres. As is the case for other domains of cognition, the preservation of communication abilities with age requires this network to reorganize itself. Each dimension of this reorganization probably reflects compensatory processes applied to cope with increased complexity or to compensate for sensory/cognitive limitations by using alternative cognitive strategies.

At the same time, it is well known that a right-hemisphere (RH) lesion can interfere with communication abilities in right-handed adults, and especially with the semantic processing of words and discourse and pragmatic abilities. These communication deficits can result in different clinical profiles depending on their nature. Despite important advancements in recent years, the nature of the neurofunctional reorganization that sustains different aspects of communication in the course of optimal aging is still largely unknown, and the extent to which this reorganization takes place in individuals who do not so is still subject to question. Moreover, the consequences of such a functional reorganization for the nature of communication deficits after a brain lesion in older patients are still poorly described, and clinicial tools are required for clinicians to be able to help individuals with such communication limitations.