Clinical Trial: Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Post-stroke Aphasia
Study Status: Recruiting
Recruit Status: Recruiting
Study Type: Interventional
Official Title: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Acute and Chronic Post-stroke Aphasia
Brief Summary: This study aims to determine whether transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) paired with speech-language therapy is more beneficial than speech-language therapy alone in acute and chronic post-stroke aphasia.
Detailed Summary:
This study aims to determine whether behavioral word-retrieval therapy coupled with anodal tDCS will improve the fluency and name retrieval performance of participants with post-stroke aphasia more efficiently and for greater duration than language therapy alone (i.e. in the sham condition).
tDCS neuronal targets will be selected in this order:
- left posterior superior-middle temporal gyrus (an area critical for word retrieval and word comprehension),
- left posterior frontal areas found to be responsible for lexical selection if the first area is infarcted, or
- right cerebellum (important for learning, and consistently activated in naming task) if both of the other areas are infarcted.
The same areas will be stimulated during the first tDCS and sham periods. If the participant returns for a second period of tDCS and sham with language therapy, the right cerebellum will be stimulated (if it was the only uninfarcted target area investigators will stimulate this area again). For cerebellar stimulation, either anodal or cathodal will be used as studies show that anodal or cathodal stimulation has an effect on cognitive functions.
Sponsor: Johns Hopkins University
Current Primary Outcome: Change in picture naming scores in trained and untrained items [ Time Frame: Before and after 15 sessions of intervention (3 weeks) and at 2 weeks and 2 months follow-ups ]
Original Primary Outcome: Same as current
Current Secondary Outcome:
- Change in Philadelphia Naming Test: Picture naming of everyday objects, different from training set [ Time Frame: Before and after 15 sessions of intervention (3 weeks) and at 2 weeks and 2 months follow-ups ]
- Change in Written naming of objects and actions [ Time Frame: Before and after 15 sessions of intervention (3 weeks) and at 2 weeks and 2 months follow-ups ]We will evaluate the absolute number as well as the percent change of the list of objects and actions assigned for intervention as trained and untrained items.
- Change in working memory (digit span) [ Time Frame: Before and after 15 sessions of intervention (3 weeks) and at 2 weeks and 2 months follow-ups ]
- Change in verbal fluency [ Time Frame: Before and after 15 sessions of intervention (3 weeks) and at 2 weeks and 2 months follow-ups ]We will use letter (F, A, S) and semantic fluency measures (animals, fruits and vegetables) and we will measure how many were added or omitted at follow-up intervals.
Original Secondary Outcome:
- Change in Philadelphia Naming Test: Picture naming of everyday objects, different from training set [ Time Frame: Before and after 15 sessions of intervention (3 weeks) and at 2 weeks and 2 months follow-ups ]
- Change in Written naming of objects and actions [ Time Frame: Before and after 15 sessions of intervention (3 weeks) and at 2 weeks and 2 months follow-ups ]
- Change in working memory (digit span) [ Time Frame: Before and after 15 sessions of intervention (3 weeks) and at 2 weeks and 2 months follow-ups ]
- Change in verbal fluency [ Time Frame: Before and after 15 sessions of intervention (3 weeks) and at 2 weeks and 2 months follow-ups ]
Information By: Johns Hopkins University
Dates:
Date Received: November 17, 2015
Date Started: February 2014
Date Completion: June 2020
Last Updated: March 6, 2017
Last Verified: March 2017
