Clinical Trial: Chronic Aphasia - Improved by Intensive Training and Electrical Brain Stimulation

Study Status: Active, not recruiting
Recruit Status: Unknown status
Study Type: Interventional

Official Title: Chronic Aphasia - Improved by Intensive Training and Electrical Brain

Brief Summary: The purpose of this study is to determine if non-invasive electrical brain stimulation can enhance the out of intensive language therapy in chronic aphasia

Detailed Summary:

Stroke is the leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Given the increasing average lifespan worldwide, the incidence and prevalence of patients with stroke will dramatically increase in the future. One of the most frequent and devastating conditions after stroke is aphasia, which affects language production and comprehension. High-frequent intensive speech-and-language therapy is currently the treatment of choice in chronic aphasia. However, despite its general effectiveness, treatment effect sizes are only low to moderate. Thus, there is a pressing need to explore novel training-adjuvant therapies to enhance treatment efficacy. Moreover, very little is known about the neurobiology of treatment-induced recovery in chronic aphasia. This is the prerequisite to improve existing and/or develop new treatment paradigms.

Thus, in the present project we aim to assess whether the outcome of intensive language training can be enhanced by adjuvant non-invasive brain stimulation. We will be using anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (atDCS) that has previously been shown to enhance (a) language and motor learning in healthy subjects and (b) motor recovery in stroke patients. Specifically, in a longitudinal group comparison design, two matched groups of patients with chronic anomia will receive two weeks of intensive language training with or without atDCS. Treatment effects will be assessed immediately after the two week intervention period and several months after the end of the training. We will also use functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to elucidate language network changes in the two groups.


Sponsor: Charite University, Berlin, Germany

Current Primary Outcome: Boston Naming Test [ Time Frame: Change of naming score from baseline (day 1 of study) to immediately after 2-week intervention period (post-testing) ]

Original Primary Outcome: Same as current

Current Secondary Outcome:

  • Boston Naming Test [ Time Frame: Change of naming score from post-testing (after end of intervention) to 3 months after the intervention (follow-up) ]
    The follow-up will be administered to assess the stability of the treatment gains
  • Naming performance during functional magnetic resonance scanning [ Time Frame: Change of naming score from baseline (day 1 of study) to immediately after 2-week intervention period (post-testing) ]
    assessed during overt picture naming task
  • Naming performance during functional magnetic resonance imaging [ Time Frame: Change of naming score from post-testing (after end of intervention) to 3 months after the intervention (follow-up) ]
    assessed during overt picture naming task


Original Secondary Outcome: Same as current

Information By: Charite University, Berlin, Germany

Dates:
Date Received: October 13, 2010
Date Started: January 2011
Date Completion: December 2014
Last Updated: August 26, 2013
Last Verified: August 2013