Maintain your brain: Bands to compete in fundraiser for aphasia research

Four local student bands will battle it out on Stafford Commons on April 13 from 1-4 p.m. in an effort to raise money for the Triangle Aphasia Project. 

Maintain Your Brain is an annual fundraiser that started in 2019 as a way to raise money for the Triangle Aphasia Project. Charlotte Fullbright, a third-year studying integrative physiology and neurology, started this event to honor her grandfather, who has aphasia.

“He was always super positive and really inspirational, just like going through all of that, and then still showing up, just really positive and enthusiastic every day, even though it looked differently for him,” Fullbright said.

Aphasia is a disorder that affects the ability to speak and understand language. John Meitzen, a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, said aphasia often occurs when something bad, such as a stroke, happens to the part of your brain that controls language. 

“Different parts of your brain do different things; that's a concept called localization of function,” Meitzen said. “And so what happens in aphasia is, usually there is some sort of damage to a part of the brain that helps to control an aspect of language. And then our patients exhibit some sort of problem with language.”

The Triangle Aphasia Project supports individuals and families with aphasia by providing services to socially re-engage individuals with aphasia. 

“One time, I was able to sit in on a class where they were practicing going through the airport and saying things like, ‘I have aphasia. I need a moment,’ stuff like that because it just takes people with aphasia a little bit more time to get their words out sometimes,” Fullbright said. “And they also help the families with a course called Learning to Speak Aphasia, so helping people figure out how best to interact with their families with these new levels of ability.”

Although the event is free to all attendees, Fullbright encourages donations since the salaries of Triangle Aphasia Project speech therapists are dependent on donations. 

Four local bands — Beach Tub, Cuffing Season, Odd 39 and Saturnalias — will perform short sets during the event. At the end of the event, attendees will vote on their favorite band and the winner will get to open for a headliner at Lincoln Theatre. 

Fullbright integrated live music into this fundraiser due to music’s impact on aphasia patients. 

“Something fascinating is that some people with aphasia have actually been able to sing more easily than they can speak,” Fullbright said. “And sometimes that's because it has a connection to like a past memory, or it has a connection to a part of the brain that wasn't damaged. And it really brings people to life sometimes.”

Meitzen said localization of function is to thank for this phenomenon as well.

“Essentially, what's happening there is that there's a part of the brain that's being activated that either isn't damaged or doesn't have as much damage as one of the other parts that's causing the aphasia,” Meitzen said.

Fullbright said she hopes to bring awareness to aphasia and other neurological disorders through this event.

“I hope that [the attendees] have a fun day, they enjoy time with friends and enjoy the music, but I hope they also learn something too,” Fullbright said. “Neurological health really affects almost everyone. We all know someone who has been affected by traumatic brain injury. I hope that they learned something new and that they're able to go out and have a more accepting and understanding point of view.”