The complexity of the brain proved to be a rewarding summer challenge for sophomore Anthony Imbert (x’27). He worked to decode the complexity of neuroplasticity — the brain’s ability to adapt to certain stimuli — and identify effective treatment plans for patients with post-stroke aphasia, a condition that affects the brain’s ability to communicate clearly. But to achieve these results, Imbert had to devote his summer to sifting through hours of audio files and transcribing a stream of stutters and vocal pauses.
Through the Letters & Science Summer of Excellence in Research (LASER) program, Imbert worked on a NIH grant-funded project assessing biomarkers related to neuroplasticity within the brain. For example, individual differences in genes and brain network connections can contribute to differences in communication ability and language recovery for patients who recently suffered a stroke.
Imbert and other researchers conducted genetic testing based on audio clips of post-stroke aphasia patients describing specific images. Researchers can consider the results when testing the effectiveness of treatment plans.
Imbert was given the task of listening and transcribing all the subjects’ 45-minute audio recordings. He looked for pauses, mispronunciation, forgotten syllables or stuttering — all common symptoms of aphasia. Every time there was a communication delay or mistake, Imbert marked it on the transcript.
“The picture used is a picnic, so what the patients are saying will usually be similar,” Imbert says. “They’re going to describe these similar things, but the way they’re seeing them and their communicative ability are what we’re testing.”
The process of transcribing audio files is not as easy as it may appear. In fact, it’s quite exacting.
Imbert recalls struggling during the first few reliability tests during the onboarding process. The reliability tests ensure the researcher — Imbert in this case — is more than 80% reliable on his transcripts. This means if Imbert does not transcribe with at least 80% accuracy, he must redo the process.
“If I don’t catch the right utterances or right pauses, then it’s going to mess up our reliability because it’s going to be lower since the transcript does not match,” Imbert says. “That was a struggle for me at first, but I’ve gotten better and much more proficient at it.”
Imbert moved far since the first reliability tests and successfully completed the preliminary data set. With this data collection, Imbert and research associates then began preparing for in-person speech testing of patients.
Imbert decided to commit to the lab throughout the school year, meaning he enrolled in Dr. Haley Dresang’s (’15) communication sciences and disorders course to continue his research. Currently, Imbert and his mentor are setting expectations for what can be accomplished during the Fall 2024 semester.
While Imbert looks forward to continuing the experiments, it has raised questions for him regarding time management as a full-time student on top of his part-time job and research position.
“I don’t want to be stuck between school and lab and then have no time to relax and participate in other activities,” Imbert says. “It’s something I know I can balance and I’m passionate about the research, so I know I can handle everything.”
Imbert’s passion for neurobiology is what attracted him to the LASER program in the first place.
Born and raised in New York, Imbert came to UW–Madison on a full scholarship through the UW’s Posse Program — a scholarship program awarded to students with extraordinary academic and leadership potential.
Now a sophomore, Imbert is grateful for the educational resources and research opportunities the school offers him. Moving forward, Imbert wants to research memory, including in the context of diseases such as Alzheimer’s and aphasia.
“All processes that the brain goes through — in any condition that it’s in — are super fascinating to me, because I know our perception of self and our perception of how we analyze the world are obviously through this mechanism [the brain] that we barely know,” Imbert says.