Many stroke patients have issues with speech and processing auditory information as they recover, making a fast-past political debate a challenging environment.
Some political observers said that Pennsylvania Senate candidate John Fetterman appeared to struggle in a televised debate against Dr. Mehmet Oz this week, but neuroscientist and fellow stroke patient Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor said Fetterman's recovery is remarkable.
"Imagine what a stressful situation any debate is for any brain, much less a brain that has auditory processing information problems," Taylor said on Greater Boston. She said the debate's set up, with fast-paced back and forth questions, was not designed well to accommodate his needs.
"I just really don't feel like we worked well with his brain to get a good performance," she added.
She explained that for recovering stroke patients, information comes in and sometimes it takes a moment for the brain to attach meaning to sound and gain understanding.
Despite the auditory processing challenges, Fetterman has demonstrated fine motor skills, the ability to make conversation, maintain his sense of humor and criticize his opponent, which are all signs he is perfectly fit to serve in office if elected, Taylor said.
Even if Fetterman is not elected, Taylor said he can help bring more stroke awareness to the public and remove any stigma associated with people who have strokes.
Watch: How will John Fetterman’s stroke impact the Senate race and the general public?
