Modeling Treated Recovery From Aphasia

Stroke is the leading cause of adult disability in the United States, and aphasia is common following a stroke to the left hemisphere of the brain. Aphasia therapy can improve aphasia recover; however, very little is known about how different patients respond to different types of treatments.

The purpose of this study is to understand how the following factors influence an individual's response to aphasia treatment: 1) biographical factors (e.g., age, education, gender), 2) post-stroke cognitive/linguistic abilities and learning potential, and 3) the location and extent of post-stroke brain damage. We are also interested in understanding the kinds of treatment materials that should be emphasized in speech/language treatment.

Overall, the goal of the current research is to inform the clinical management of post-stroke aphasia by identifying factors that can predict how an individual will respond to different treatment methods.

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Key information

Conditions

Aphasia Anomia Aphasia, Anomic Aphasia, Broca Aphasia, Conduction Aphasia, Expressive Aphasia, Fluent Aphasia, Global Aphasia, Jargon Aphasia, Mixed Aphasia, Wernicke Brain Diseases Cardiovascular Diseases Central Nervous System Diseases Cerebrovascular Disorders Communication Disorders Ischemic Stroke Language Disorders Nervous System Diseases Neurobehavioral Manifestations Neurologic Manifestations Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Signs and Symptoms Speech Disorders Stroke Stroke, Ischemic Vascular Diseases

Age range

21 year–80 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, United States

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

Experienced a left hemisphere ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke At least 12 months post-stroke
Primarily English speaker for the past 20 years
Ability to provide informed written or verbal consent MRI-compatible (e.g., no metal implants, not claustrophobic)

Exclusion criteria

History of a right hemisphere stroke (Bilateral stroke)
Clinically reported history of dementia, alcohol abuse, psychiatric disorder, traumatic brain injury, or extensive visual acuity or visual-spatial problems
Severely limited speech production and/or auditory comprehension that interferes with adequate participation in the therapy provided

Treatment and study plan

Semantically focused treatment

Behavioral

Tasks are as follows:

Semantic feature analysis (SFA): For each pictured stimulus the patient is prompted to name the picture, and then to produce related words that represent features similar to the target word.
Semantic barrier task: The goal is for one participant (e.g., patient) to describe each card so that the other participant (e.g., clinician) can guess the picture on the card. Participants are only allowed to describe the semantic features of the target and the clinician models the kinds of cues that are allowed.
Verb network strengthening treatment (VNeST): This treatment targets lexical retrieval of verbs and their thematic nouns. The objective of VNeST is for the patient to generate verb-noun associates with the purpose of strengthening the connections between the verb and its uses.

These are tasks used in clinical aphasia rehabilitation.

Phonologically focused treatment

Behavioral

Tasks are as follows:

Phonological (sound) components analysis task: Participants are to name a given picture and then to identify the sound features of the target words (e.g., first sound, last sound, and rhyme).
Phonological production task: This tasks asks participants to sort and identify the sounds that make up a word. Various stages include identifying first sounds, last sounds, etc. Participants also work on blending sounds together to form words.
The phonological judgment task: A computerized presentation of verbs and nouns where participants are required to judge whether pairs of words include similar phonological features.

These are tasks used in clinical aphasia rehabilitation.

Primary outcomes

Philadelphia Naming Test

Time frame: 6 months

Assesses the ability to name functional objects

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of South Carolina

Other

Collaborators

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)

Registry information

Official study title

(C-STAR) Center for the Study of Aphasia Recovery Modeling Treated Recovery From Aphasia

Important dates

Study start: 2016
Primary completion: 2021
Study completion: 2021
First posted: Jan 31, 2018
Registry last updated: Apr 28, 2022

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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