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Enrolling by Invitation

NCT Number: NCT06649084

Primary Progressive Aphasia Multicomponent Language Treatment Study

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a speech-language telerehabilitation helps improve communication in people with primary progressive aphasia (PPA), a form of dementia that affects speech and language. The study will also document how acceptable and helpful the program is for both patients and their care partners.

The main questions the study aims to answer are:

1. Is the telerehabilitation program feasible and acceptable for people with PPA and their care partners? 2. Do participants with PPA and care partners report satisfaction with the program? 3. Which outcome measures are most useful for evaluating changes in communication and quality of life? 4. What patterns of treatment response are seen in participants after completing the program?

Researchers will test the program in a small group of participants to see how people respond. The program includes both speech-language therapy and training for care partners.

Participants will:

* Take part in online speech-language therapy sessions * Complete communication tasks and questionnaires before and after the program * Have regular virtual check-ins with the research team * Include their care partners in some parts of the program for training and support

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Key information

Conditions

Primary Progressive Aphasia Aphasia Aphasia, Primary Progressive Aphasia, Progressive Brain Diseases Central Nervous System Diseases Communication Disorders Dementia Frontotemporal Dementia Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration Language Disorders Logopenic Progressive Aphasia Memory Disorders Mental Disorders Metabolic Diseases Nervous System Diseases Neurobehavioral Manifestations Neurocognitive Disorders Neurodegenerative Diseases Neurologic Manifestations Nonfluent Aphasia, Progressive Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Primary Progressive Nonfluent Aphasia Proteostasis Deficiencies Semantic Dementia Semantic Memory Disorder Signs and Symptoms Speech Disorders TDP-43 Proteinopathies

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

University of Texas

Austin, Texas, 78712, United States

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Meets diagnostic criteria for Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA; Gorno-Tempini et al., 2011)
  • Scores of 10 or higher on the Mini-Mental State Examination
  • Has a study partner who can consistently attend sessions

Exclusion criteria

  • Other neurological or psychiatric diagnosis that may contribute to cognitive-linguistic deficits
  • Significant, uncorrected visual or hearing impairment that would interfere with participation
  • Score of less than 10 on the Mini-Mental State Examination
  • Prominent initial non-speech-language impairment (cognitive, behavioral, motoric)

Treatment and study plan

Multicomponent Lexical Retrieval Training (Multi-LRT)

Behavioral

In person or via teletherapy: A multi-component treatment incorporating elements of restitutive, compensatory, and care-partner focused interventions. Participants work on producing names of personally relevant target in multiple communication modalities. Treatment focuses on the use of strategies which capitalize on residual linguistic ability and autobiographical memory to support word retrieval. The participant completes two one-hour-long sessions per week plus daily homework. The participant also meets 4 times during the course of treatment with a study partner (e.g., spouse) for communication counseling, education, and practice of communication strategies.

Multicomponent Video Implemented Script Training in Aphasia (Multi-VISTA)

Behavioral

In person or via teletherapy: A multi-component treatment incorporating elements of restitutive, compensatory, and care-partner focused interventions. Participants work on producing personally relevant scripts of 3-5 sentences in length. Length and complexity of scripts are individually tailored. The participant completes 30 minutes per day of home practice, during which they speak in unison with a video/audio model of a healthy speaker clearly articulating the scripts. Biweekly (one hour each) sessions with a clinician are held which target clear and accurate script production, script memorization, and conversational usage of the script and multimodal communication. The participant also meets 6 times during the course of treatment with a study partner (e.g., spouse) for communication counseling, education, and practice of communication strategies.

Multicomponent Communication Partner Training (Multi-CPT)

Behavioral

In person or via teletherapy: A multi-component treatment incorporating elements of compensatory and care-partner focused interventions. Biweekly (one hour each) sessions with a clinician are held which target use of communication strategies including multimodal communication for the participant and study partner (e.g., spouse). The participant also completes regular assignments meant to increase generalization of communication strategies and progress on personal goals.

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in script production accuracy

    Time frame: change from pre-treatment to post-treatment (approximately 6-12 weeks after treatment onset) and follow-ups at 3 months post-treatment

    Percent correct intelligible, scripted words for trained/untrained scripts

  2. Change in spoken naming of trained/untrained items

    Time frame: change from pre-treatment to post-treatment (approximately 6-12 weeks after treatment onset) and follow-ups at 3 months post-treatment

    Percent correctly named trained/untrained pictures

  3. Information communicated in any modality for trained/untrained stimuli

    Time frame: change from pre-treatment to post-treatment (approximately 6-12 weeks after treatment onset) and follow-ups at 3 months post-treatment

    Percent of major content units (key words) communicated via speech or nonspeech modalities (e.g., writing, drawing, gesture) for trained/untrained scripts (Multi-VISTA) or words (Multi-LRT) during structured probes and in conversation

  4. Goal Attainment Score

    Time frame: change from pre-treatment to post-treatment (approximately 6-12 weeks after treatment onset) and follow-ups at 3 months post-treatment

    The Goal Attainment Score is self-reported progress on personalized goals based on a five point scale.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change on Quick Aphasia Battery

    Time frame: change from pre-treatment to post-treatment (approximately 6-12 weeks after treatment onset) and follow-ups at 3 months post-treatment

    change on standardized aphasia assessment

  2. Change on Aphasia Impact Questionnaire

    Time frame: change from pre-treatment to post-treatment (approximately 6-12 weeks after treatment onset) and follow-ups at 3 months post-treatment

    change on psychosocial questionnaire for individuals with aphasia

Other outcomes

  1. Post-treatment Communication Survey

    Time frame: post-treatment (approximately 6-12 weeks after treatment onset)

    survey characterizing perceived response to treatment

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Texas at Austin

Other

Collaborators

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

Registry information

Official study title

Establishing Evidence-based Multicomponent Treatment for Speech and Language in Primary Progressive Aphasia

Important dates

Study start
2023
Primary completion
2025
Study completion
2025
First posted
Oct 18, 2024
Registry last updated
Oct 8, 2025

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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