By InvitationNot Applicable

Speech-Language Treatment With Remotely Supervised Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Primary Progressive Aphasia

United States10 participantsStarted 2023-07-10

Plain-language summary

Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is a disorder characterized by gradual decline in speech-language ability caused by underlying neurodegenerative disease. PPA is a devastating condition that can affect adults as young as their 50's, depriving them of the ability to communicate and function in society. Along with Alzheimer's Disease and other Alzheimer's Disease Related Dementias (AD/ADRD), PPA is now identified earlier and with greater precision. Increasingly, patients and families seek options for behavioral and neuromodulatory treatments to address PPA's devastating effects on communication, prolong speech-language skills, and maximize quality of life. Studies have documented the robust benefits of speech-language telerehabilitation methods for persons with PPA, with in-home treatment resulting in immediate and long-term benefits. This investigation aims to further enhance the potency of these treatment approaches by pairing them with tailored neuromodulatory intervention that targets critical brain networks supporting treatment in each clinical subtype of PPA. The study will evaluate the feasibility and preliminary benefit of home-based transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) combined with evidence-based speech-language telerehabilitation methods. tDCS will be delivered to patients in their own homes and site of stimulation will be tailored for each clinical subtype of PPA. This project has the potential to enhance clinical management and rehabilitation for individuals with PPA by establishing the benefit of behavioral and neuromodulatory treatment that is neurobiologically-motivated and accessible for patients and families.

Who can participate

SexALL

See this in plain English?

AI-rewrites the medical criteria so a patient or caregiver can understand them. Always confirm with the trial site.

Because PPA is a rare disease, the study aims to recruit all eligible participants with PPA who are referred to the Aphasia Research and Treatment Lab at the University of Texas (UT) Austin, the UT/Dell Medical School Department of Neurology, and the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) Memory and Aging Center, as well as individuals with PPA from other clinical and research sites. The study will aim to include males, females, and transgender or non-binary individuals. Great efforts will be made to recruit participants from minority populations, subject to the limitation that participants need to be fluent speakers of English. Inclusion Criteria: * Meets diagnostic criteria for PPA * Meets diagnostic criteria for a specific variant of PPA * Score of 20 or higher on the Mini-Mental State Examination * Adequate hearing and vision (with hearing or vision aids, if needed) * Has a study partner that can co-enroll in the study and attend pre-treatment training as well as continue to be present for weekly teleconference meetings * Able and willing to undergo MRI brain scan * Access to high speed internet Exclusion Criteria: * Speech and language deficits better accounted for by another neurological disorder * Does not meet diagnostic criteria for a specific variant of PPA * Score of less than 20 on the Mini-Mental State Examination * Does not have a study partner who can co-enroll in the study * Contraindications for tDCS or MRI scan (History of seizures, head injury…

What they're measuring

RS-LRT arm: Change in spoken naming

Timeframe: change from pre-treatment to one month and three months after onset of treatment in each phase (stimulation and sham)

RS-VISTA arm: Change in script production accuracy

Timeframe: change from pre-treatment to one month and three months after onset of treatment in each phase (stimulation and sham)

Trial details

NCT IDNCT05901233

SponsorUniversity of Texas at Austin

Sponsor typeOTHER

Study typeINTERVENTIONAL

Primary completion2026-08-30

View on ClinicalTrials.gov More Primary Progressive Aphasia trials

Plain-language summary

Who can participate

SexALL

See this in plain English?

AI-rewrites the medical criteria so a patient or caregiver can understand them. Always confirm with the trial site.

What they're measuring

RS-LRT arm: Change in spoken naming

Timeframe: change from pre-treatment to one month and three months after onset of treatment in each phase (stimulation and sham)

RS-VISTA arm: Change in script production accuracy

Timeframe: change from pre-treatment to one month and three months after onset of treatment in each phase (stimulation and sham)