Mirror Speech Entrainment: A Novel Technique for Voice Personalized Speech Entrainment for Nonfluent Aphasia

The goal of this clinical trial is to test the use of voice personalization through artificial intelligence (AI) voice cloning on speech entrainment tasks to improve language production of persons with aphasia (PWA). The main question the study aims to answer is:

- What is the impact of personalized voice on speech entrainment in PWA compared to traditional speech entrainment?

Speech entrainment is a technique used by speech-language pathologists to improve the speech production of PWA. Traditionally, speech therapists act as the model for participants to speak along with to improve their speech production. This study proposes the use of one's own voice (digitally altered) to improve speech production.

The study uses a mobile health approach to administer speech entrainment treatment through a mobile app.

* Smartphones with the mobile app pre-installed will be mailed to participants at no cost. * Participants will complete treatment in the comfort of their homes. * The experimental treatments involve: mirror speech entrainment (speaking along to one's own voice) and traditional speech entrainment (speaking along to someone else's voice).

Recruiting

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Key information

Conditions

Aphasia Non Fluent Aphasia Aphasia, Broca Brain Diseases Cardiovascular Diseases Central Nervous System Diseases Cerebrovascular Disorders Communication Disorders Language Disorders Nervous System Diseases Neurobehavioral Manifestations Neurologic Manifestations Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Signs and Symptoms Speech Disorders Stroke Vascular Diseases

Age range

18 year–70 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

Adults between the ages of 18-70 years old
Dominant English-speaking
Aphasia due to left hemisphere stroke

Exclusion criteria

Individuals with aphasia due to other causes such as dementia, Alzheimer's disease and Parkinsonism
Non-dominant English adult speakers
Persons with significant difficulties with language comprehension
Persons with concomitant cognitive disability
Persons with uncorrected sensory deficits.

Treatment and study plan

Mirror speech entrainment

Behavioral

Speech entrainment with the user's own voice using auditory-only and auditory-visual modalities.

Traditional speech entrainment: auditory-only

Behavioral

Traditional speech entrainment (speech entrainment using an external agent's voice) using the auditory-only modality (users only listen and speak along to auditory stimuli)

Traditional speech entrainment: auditory-visual

Behavioral

Traditional speech entrainment (speech entrainment using an external agent's voice) using the auditory-visual modality (users listen and speak along to both auditory and visual stimuli (mouth movements)

Primary outcomes

Speaking rate

Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 6 weeks

Language production as assessed by number of correct words produced per minute

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of South Florida

Other

Registry information

Acronym: MSE

Important dates

Study start: 2025
Primary completion: 2026
Study completion: 2027
First posted: Feb 17, 2025
Registry last updated: Apr 21, 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.

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.

Completed