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Completed

NCT Number: NCT06364709

Criterion-learning Based Naming Treatment in Aphasia

Aphasia is a disorder of spoken and written language, most commonly following a stroke. It is estimated that between 2.5 and 4 million Americans are living with aphasia today. A common problem in aphasia involves difficulty retrieving known words in the course of language production and comprehension. The overarching goal of this project is to develop and test early efficacy, efficiency, and the tolerability of a lexical treatment for aphasia in multiple-session regimens that are comprised of retrieval practice, distributed practice, and training dedicated to the elicitation of correct retrievals. The aim of this work is to add to and refine the evidence base for the implementation and optimization of these elements in the treatment of production and comprehension deficits in aphasia, and make important steps towards an ultimate goal of self-administered lexical treatment grounded in retrieval practice principles (RPP) to supplement traditional speech-language therapy that is appropriate for People with Aphasia (PWA) from a broad level of severity of lexical processing deficit in naming and/or comprehension. This project cumulatively builds on prior work to develop a theory of learning for lexical processing impairment in aphasia that aims to ultimately explain why and for whom familiar lexical treatments work, and how to maximize the benefits they confer.

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Key information

Conditions

Aphasia Anomia Communication Disorders Language Disorders Mental Disorders Nervous System Diseases Neurobehavioral Manifestations Neurodevelopmental Disorders Neurologic Manifestations Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Signs and Symptoms Speech Disorders

Age range

18 year–89 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Jefferson Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute

Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, 19027, United States

About this study

This study examines a retrieval practice-based naming treatment termed criterion learning. In criterion learning, each item's assigned criterion level dictates the number of times that item is correctly retrieved before it is dropped from further training within a session. Criterion learning optimally incorporates potent learning experiences, including spaced retrieval practice with emphasis on correct retrievals during training. By examining scheduling and dosing parameters the present study will provide critical observations for optimizing criterion learning for treating word processing deficits in people with aphasia. This study will recruit 20 community-dwelling individuals with aphasia, who will undergo comprehensive neuropsychological characterization. Subsequently, participants will engage in an experimental treatment designed to promote improvements in word retrieval deficits.

This study will examine naming mastery of personally-relevant, functional vocabulary for PWA as a function of per-item naming practice dosage (i.e., criterion-level) and number of training sessions. Each participant will take part in a multi-session naming treatment study requiring completion of five training sessions generally separated by one-week. A retention test of naming performance will be administered approximately one week following the final training session. The first trial per item in sessions following the initial session serves as a one-week test of retention of prior training. Analyses will identify the item-dosage and session-dosage that most efficiently confers the highest naming mastery of treated items at a one-week retention interval.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • English as a native or primary language
  • Adults with stroke who are at least 6 months post-onset

Exclusion criteria

  • History of comorbid neurological diagnoses, such as Multiple Sclerosis or Parkinson's Disease
  • History of a learning disability that significantly impacted language development, such as developmental language disorder
  • Insufficient stamina to participate in the protocol

Treatment and study plan

Criterion-learning practice

Behavioral

The experiments will be presented on a computer. On each criterion-learning trial, a picture is presented and the participant is asked to try to produce the name for the object with or without a cue. Correct-answer feedback is provided. Criterion learning involves presenting a block of items in fixed order, and on each trial, the experimenter or a voice-recognition component will code the response during the trial as correct/incorrect. When the item reaches its assigned criterion level, it is dropped from further training in a session.

Primary outcomes

  1. Trained naming items

    Time frame: during treatment

    Confrontation naming task that involves trained items

Secondary outcomes

  1. Trained naming items

    Time frame: pre-treatment, approximately one-week following treatment

    Confrontation naming task that involves trained items

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Albert Einstein Healthcare Network

Other

Collaborators

  • National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
  • Thomas Jefferson University

Registry information

Official study title

Word Retrieval in Aphasia

Important dates

Study start
2024
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
Apr 15, 2024
Registry last updated
Jul 8, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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