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Completed

NCT Number: NCT03820843

Impact of Art Therapy on Brain Connectivity in Recent Post-Stroke Aphasia

A stroke located in the left parieto-temporal junction is associated, in aphasic right-handed patients, with a poor prognosis for language recovery. The role of the right hemisphere in recovering post-stroke aphasia is still controversial. Our hypothesis, based on recent work in imaging, is that early activation of the right hemisphere linked to the practice of the visual arts could facilitate language recovery in extended posterior left strokes that completely disrupt language areas.

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Key information

About this study

The investigators will evaluate, at inclusion and at 6 weeks, the reorganization of functional and structural brain connectivity maps before and after rehabilitation of aphasia with art therapy and standard orthophonic rehabilitation versus a control group that received only standard orthophonic rehabilitation.

The investigators will include all consecutive patients with recent ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke with unilateral lesion(s) of the parieto-temporal left junction present on the Diffusion MRI (DWI) performed in acute phase at 24-48h.

All patients will undergo 2 MRI with tensor diffusion sequences (structural connectivity) and fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) resting state sequences (functional connectivity) at inclusion and 6 weeks after rehabilitation with or without art therapy.

The investigators aimed to demonstrate that early activation of the right hemisphere related to the practice of the visual arts could facilitate the recovery of language in later strokes completely disrupting the language areas of the left hemisphere.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Patients with recent ischemic or haemorrhagic stroke with unilateral lesion (s) of the parieto-temporal left junction present on the Diffusion MRI (DWI) performed in acute phase at 24-48h
  • Post stroke delay of 15 days to 2 months
  • Existence of moderate to severe phasic disorders on Aphasia Rapid Test score (ART, score> 6, scale of 26 items)
  • Patient able to read and understand French
  • Rightful
  • Normal and corrected vision and hearing
  • Absence of pre-existing degenerative neurological disorder
  • Patient having signed his consent
  • Age ≥ 18 years

Exclusion criteria

  • Patients with contraindications to MRI or claustrophobic
  • Patients under legal protection
  • Patients with behavioral disorders or disabling neurovisual disorders making participation in art therapy impossible
  • Mute patients, illiterate patients
  • Patients leaving the neurological SSR department prematurely
  • Patients not affiliated to a social security scheme
  • Pregnant or lactating women.

Treatment and study plan

Art therapy and standard orthophonic rehabilitation

Other

In addition to standard orthophonic rehabilitation, the patient will receive 12 sessions of art therapy

Primary outcomes

  1. change from baseline measurement of white substance bundles volumes for structural connectivity at 6 weeks

    Time frame: from inclusion at 6 weeks

  2. change from baseline measurement of synchrony amplitude of slow fluctuations for functional Connectivity at 6 weeks

    Time frame: from inclusion at 6 weeks

Secondary outcomes

  1. change from baseline Aphasia at 6 weeks

    Time frame: from inclusion at 6 weeks

    The BDAE (Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination) score ranges from 0 to 5, with higher values indicating more severe impairment

  2. change from baseline Aphasia at 6 weeks

    Time frame: from inclusion at 6 weeks

    The ART (Aphasia Rapid Test) score ranges from 0 to 26, with higher values indicating more severe impairment

  3. change from baseline Anxiety and depression at 6 weeks

    Time frame: from inclusion and at 6 weeks

    The HADS (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) scores ranges from 0 to 21 for both anxiety and depression scores, with higher values indicating more severe impairment

  4. change from baseline Quality of life self-assessment at 6 weeks

    Time frame: from inclusion at 6 weeks

    Visual Analogic scale of patient quality of life is a 0% to 100% scale, with 100 indicating the best health status

  5. Satisfaction self-assessment at 6 weeks

    Time frame: at 6 weeks only

    visual analogic scale of patient satisfaction is a 0 to 10 scale, with higher values indicating better satisfaction

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Impact of Art Therapy on Brain Connectivity in Recent Post-Stroke Aphasia (ART-CONNECT)

Acronym: ART-CONNECT

Important dates

Study start
2020
Primary completion
2024
Study completion
2025
First posted
Jan 29, 2019
Registry last updated
Jan 23, 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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