After a stroke, many people experience a language impairment called aphasia. One of the most debilitating types of aphasia is non-fluent aphasia. Non-fluent aphasia is defined by significantly reduced speech production, with the speaker producing only a few words or even less. Speech entrainment therapy (SET) is a treatment that has been shown to increase fluency in people with non-fluent aphasia. The study looks to define the best dose of SET that leads to sustained improvements in spontaneous speech production. Participants who are eligible will undergo baseline language testing, an MRI, and will be randomized into one of 4 treatment groups: SET for 3 weeks, SET for 4.5 weeks, SET for 6 weeks, and no treatment (control group).
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
80
3 weeks of SET which consists of practicing fluent speech in real time with an audio-visual computer program
4.5 weeks of SET which consists of practicing fluent speech in real time with an audio-visual computer program
6 weeks of SET which consists of practicing fluent speech in real time with an audio-visual computer program
Participants will not be getting any SET for 6 weeks
Medical University of South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina, United States
University of South Carolina
Columbia, South Carolina, United States
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
Average Verbs Per Minute (VPM) Change From Baseline
VPM will be assessed through procedural storytelling and narrative storytelling tasks - with four items in each category. The procedural storytelling items are: 1) how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, 2) how to make scrambled eggs, 3) how to brew coffee, and 4) how to wash dishes. The narrative items will be: 1) Cinderella story, 2) Little Red Riding Hood, 3) The Three Little Pigs, and 4) Goldilocks. VPM is averaged between the procedural storytelling and narrative storytelling tasks.
Time frame: 3 months after treatment (or no treatment)
Stroke and Aphasia Quality of Life Scale-39 (SAQOL-39) Change From Baseline
Stroke and Aphasia Quality of Life Scale-39 (SAQOL-39) is a health-related quality of life measure that evaluates a participant's physical, psychosocial, and communication functioning. The final score is a decimal number between 0 and 5 with 5 indicating the best quality of life.
Time frame: 3 months after treatment (or no treatment)
Narrative Verbs Per Minute (VPM)
VPM will be assessed through narrative storytelling tasks - with four different stories. The narrative stories will be: 1) Cinderella story, 2) Little Red Riding Hood, 3) The Three Little Pigs, and 4) Goldilocks.
Time frame: 3 months after treatment (or no treatment)
Procedural Verbs Per Minute (VPM) Change From Baseline
Verbs per minute (VPM) will be assessed through procedural storytelling - with four different stories. The procedural storytelling items are: 1) how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, 2) how to make scrambled eggs, 3) how to brew coffee, and 4) how to wash dishes.
Time frame: 3 months after treatment (or no treatment)
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