NCT04432883 · University of New Mexico
Targeted TDCS to Enhance Speech-Language Treatment Outcome in Persons With Chronic Post-Stroke Aphasia.
(AphasiatDCS)
What this study is about
62 patients who are one year post stroke and have Aphasia as a result of that stroke will be recruited. Participants will have 4 assessment sessions and 15 treatment sessions. The TDCS will be to right Inferior Frontal Gyrus (IFG) (25 active, 25 sham) for 15 days. A combined semantic feature analysis/phonological components analysis treatment will be paired with the stimulation.
View original scientific description
62 patients who are one year post stroke and have Aphasia as a result of that stroke will be recruited. Participants will have 4 assessment sessions and 15 treatment sessions. The TDCS will be to right Inferior Frontal Gyrus (IFG) (25 active, 25 sham) for 15 days. A combined semantic feature analysis/phonological components analysis treatment will be paired with the stimulation. Two assessment sessions will be pretreatment, 1 session immediately post-treatment, and 1 session at 3 months follow-up.
Interventions
DEVICE
Active Comparator: Experimental: Active cathodal tDCS + language training
Cathodal tDCS raises neuronal membrane potentials, leading to decreased probability of depolarization from incoming stimuli. Speech and Language training involves a combined semantic feature analysis and phonological components analysis treatment.
BEHAVIORAL
Sham Comparator: Placebo cathodal tDCS + Speech and language
Speech and Language training involves a combined semantic feature analysis and phonological components analysis treatment. .
Primary outcome measures
Picture Naming of trained items
Time frame: 3 months
Change in naming of pictures of trained items; 60 pictured items; higher score indicates improvement
Naming Response Time of trained items Scales - IV (WAIS-IV; Wechsler, Coalson, & Railford, 2008)
Time frame: 3 months
Change in response time of naming of pictures of trained items; 0-20 seconds, decreased response time indicates improvement Scales - IV (WAIS-IV; Wechsler, Coalson, \& Railford, 2008)
Naming Efficiency of trained items
Time frame: 3 months
Change in efficiency of naming of pictures of trained items; median response time divided by proportion correct naming; smaller numbers indicate greater efficiency
Who can participate
This study lists these criteria on ClinicalTrials.gov. A study coordinator reviews eligibility during screening — this page does not determine whether you qualify.
Inclusion criteria
- must be greater than 6 months post-stroke
- must have a diagnosis of aphasia based on impaired performance on the Western Aphasia Battery-Revised, Boston Naming Test, or during discourse production
- must be left-hemisphere dominant as demonstrated by aphasia onset subsequent to left hemisphere damage
- must be stimulable for naming
Exclusion criteria
- comorbid neurological disease.
- damage to the anterior right hemisphere.
- significant mood disorder.
- substance/alcohol dependence or abuse within the past year
- presence of any implanted electrical device or contraindications to tDCS or MRI
- recent medical instability (within 4 weeks)
Where
- Albuquerque, New Mexico
Collaborators
National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
Related conditions & keywords
Frequently asked questions
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Will I receive a placebo instead of treatment?
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Data: ClinicalTrials.gov · synced May 22, 2026 · Source of record for eligibility and locations