Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is a clinical syndrome characterized by the neurodegeneration of language brain systems. Three main clinical variants are currently recorgnized (nonfluent, semantic, and logopenic PPA). Nowadays, there are no effective treatments for this disorder. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is a technique based on the principle of electromagnetic induction of an electric field in the brain. It has been used as a non-invasive therapy in different disorders, such as depression, bipolar disorder, Parkinson's disease, and in the rehabilitation of post-stroke aphasia. Recent studies have shown how repetitive TMS improved language characteristics in Alzheimer's disease, and there are initial data in patients with PPA. This research project investigates the effect of repetitive TMS in patients with PPA. Investigators will perform a personalized TMS treatment for each patient (brain region, type of stimulation/inhibition, etc.), according to the specific characteristics of each patient and with the final aim to generate a computational model.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE
Enrollment
20
Stimulation or inhibition using TMS will be delivered guided by a neuronavigator system in different brain regions.
Hospital Clínico San Carlos.
Madrid, Spain
Changes in spontaneous speech (main primary endpoint)
Picture and story description task
Time frame: 2 months (at baseline and at the end of the treatment)
Changes in oral naming
Object naming test
Time frame: 2 months
Changes in reading
Story and words reading test
Time frame: 2 months
Changes in repetition
Non-words and sentence repetition task
Time frame: 2 months (at baseline and at the end of the treatment)
Changes in brain metabolism
Brain metabolism measured using 18F-FDG-PET
Time frame: 2 months (at baseline and at the end of the treatment)
Changes in clinical impression of change
Patient's clinical impression of change (from 0 to 10)
Time frame: 2 months (at baseline and at the end of the treatment)
Changes in brain cortical electrical activity
Changes in the brain cortical electrical activity measured using quantitative electroencephalography (EEG)
Time frame: 2 months (at baseline and at the end of the treatment)
Changes in global cognition
Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination III
Time frame: 2 months (at baseline and at the end of the study)
Changes in clinical impression of change
Caregiver's clinical impression of change (from 0 to 10)
Time frame: 2 months
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