Stroke and Brain Injury Research Group

The Stroke and Brain Injury Research Group (SBIRG) brings together ARU researchers working to improve outcomes for people affected by stroke.

Illustration of a brain with cogs, a light bulb and types of line graph such as frequencies and nodes

We study language and cognitive recovery, family and relational wellbeing, rehabilitation approaches – including psychological, nutritional, and music based interventions and the broader experiences of survivors and carers. Together, we aim to develop evidence-based, person-centred support that enhances recovery and quality of life after stroke.

For more information, email [email protected]

Our people and their work

Dr Sharon Geva is interested in improving diagnosis, prognosis and rehabilitation for stroke survivors with language impairments (i.e., aphasia). She studies the interaction between language, inner speech, and cognition. She is also interested in understanding the neural mechanism of these functions, and how Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) can contribute to better diagnosis and prognosis.

Dr Débora de Vasconcelos e Sá’s research centres on family relatives/carers of stroke survivors, examining their psychological well-being and the processes through which they appraise and adjust to the long-term consequences of stroke. She has extensive experience in managing and coordinating clinical and health psychology research trials with a variety of service user groups. A key aim of this work is to inform the development of evidence-based interventions that support carers’ adjustment and resilience.

Dr Sanjoy Deb investigates the impact of nutrients and functional foods on health, wellbeing and performance. He is interested in exploring the effectiveness and acceptability of oral nutritional interventions in stroke rehabilitation.

Dr Natasha Felles’ research focuses on improving relational, family, and service-level support for individuals affected by an acquired brain injury (ABI) caused by a stroke. She has developed and implemented a couple-focused intervention following an ABI, utilising narrative and systemic family approaches. Building on this, she is now examining care transitions and discharge processes after ABI, with an emphasis on understanding the challenges of discharge. Her goal is to equip NHS staff with co-produced, evidence-informed resources to support partners and families during discharge and beyond.

Dr Alex Street is a music therapist specialising in neurorehabilitation and recovery. Through local collaborations, he is establishing routes for patients to access music therapy and multidisciplinary rehabilitation and support services. He has set up a free service for brain injury survivors at ARU's Music Therapy Clinic in Cambridge, which runs every Friday. He also facilitates an online group for musicians recovering from stroke, advising them on how to use music and develop exercises safely and efficiently.

An important supplement to Alex's work is the development of digital tools, comprising touchscreen musical instruments which facilitate massed practice of upper limb movements synchronised to strongly pulsed music, and provide data on repetitions and accuracy. Alex is also working to understand the potential use of music listening to help improve inpatient rehabilitation and manage fatigue.

  • Challenges and Supports for Involving Adults with Cognitive Impairments in Scientific Research (National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Team Science Award, NIHR306650)
  • Inner speech after stroke and its role in memory and attention (ARU Vice Chancellor's PhD Scholarship, Maria Murga, Sharon Geva)
  • Stroke Survivors with Aphasia and their Carers: Psychological, Cognitive and Lifestyle outcomes (Economic and Social Research Council Cambridge Doctoral Training Partnerships (ESRC CAM-DTP), Paris Smale, Sharon Geva, Debora e Sa)
  • The efficacy and acceptability of nutritional interventions for functional and cognitive outcomes in patients with stroke and concurrent frailty (Alex Lang, Sanjoy Deb, Sharon Geva, Debora e Sa)

Lang, A., Álvarez-Martínez, M., Zariwala, M. G., Ganesh, A., Geva, S., Ray, S., Evans, N. R. and Deb, S. K. (2025) 'Oral Nutritional Interventions for Stroke Recovery: A Systematic Review', Nutrition Reviews. Avaialble at: https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuaf179

Roberts, S. M., Bruce, R., Hope, T. M. H., Geva, S., Anderson, S., Woodgate, H., Ledingham, K., Gajardo-Vidal, A., Lorca-Puls, D. L., Crinion, J. T. et al. (2025) 'The impact of pre-stroke formal education on language test performance in aphasic and non-aphasic stroke survivors', Aphasiology. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/02687038.2024.2434864

Street, A., Pool, J., Parke, S., Gilbert, L., Motaghilotf, P., Blake, J. and Wollersberger, N. (2025) 'Music listening for fatigue after acquired brain injury: A scoping review project with patient, carer and public involvement (PCPI) data', Neuropsychological Rehabilitation. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/09602011.2025.2526655

Whiffin, C. J., Ellis-Hill, C., Norman, A., Lee, M., Singh, P. K., Clark-Wilson, J., ... and Gracey, F. (2024) 'Developing the ‘Life Threads’ approach to support families after traumatic brain injury in UK community settings: protocol for a qualitative prefeasibility study', BMJ Open, 14(10), e084204. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2024-084204

Geva, S., Schneider, L. M., Roberts, S., Khan, S., Gajardo-Vidal, A., Lorca-Puls, D. L., Team, P., Hope, T. M. H., Green, D. W. and Price, C. J. (2022) 'Right cerebral motor areas that support accurate speech production following damage to cerebellar speech areas', NeuroImage: Clinical. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nicl.2021.102820

Geva, S., Truneh, T., Seghier, M. L., Hope, T. M. H., Leff, A. P., Crinion, J. T., Gajardo-Vidal, A., Lorca-Puls, D. L., Green, D. W. and Price, C. J. (2021) 'Lesions that do or do not impair digit span: a study of 816 stroke survivors', Brain Communications. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1093/braincomms/fcab031

Yasmin, N. and Riley, G. A. (2020) 'Psychological intervention for partners post-stroke: A case report', NeuroRehabilitation, 47(2), pp. 237-245. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3233/NRE-203173

Street, A. J., Zhang, J., Pethers, S., Wiffen, L., Bond, K. and Palmer, H. (2020) 'Neurologic Music Therapy in Acute Stroke Rehabilitation: Could it be Feasible and Helpful', Topics in Stroke Rehabilitation. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/10749357.2020.1729585

Street, A. .J., Fachner, J. and Magee, W. L. (2019) 'Upper limb Rehabilitation in Stroke Using Neurologic Music Therapy: Two Contrasting Case Studies to Inform on Treatment Delivery and Patient Suitability', Nordic Journal of Music Therapy. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/08098131.2019.1606848

Street, A. J., Magee, W. L., Bateman, A., Parker, M., Odell-Miller, H. and Fachner, J. (2017) 'Home-based Neurologic Music Therapy for Arm Hemiparesis Following Stroke: Results from a Pilot, Feasibility Randomized Controlled Trial', Clinical Rehabilitation. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/0269215517717060