Language and communication are essential for almost every aspect of human life, but for people who have aphasia, a language processing disorder that can occur after stroke or brain injury, even simple conversations can become a formidable challenge. Speech and language therapy can help people recover their language ability, but often requires months or even years of therapy before a person is able to overcome these challenges. This research will investigate non-invasive brain stimulation as a way to enhance the effects of speech and language therapy, which may ultimately lead to better and faster recovery from stroke and aphasia. The investigators hypothesize that participants with aphasia who receive speech and language therapy paired with active electrical brain stimulation will improve significantly more on a language comprehension task than those who receive speech and language therapy paired with sham stimulation.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE
Enrollment
23
Active transcranial direct current stimulation will be delivered using a Soterix mini-CT device. Participants receiving this treatment will be administered 2 milliamperes (mA) of current for 20 minutes/session for 10 sessions.
Sham transcranial direct current stimulation will be delivered using a Soterix mini-CT device. Participants receiving this treatment will be administered 2 milliamperes (mA) of current for 1 minute to simulate the experience of tDCS, after which the current will be ramped down to zero for the remaining 19 minutes of the session. Participants in this arm will receive sham stimulation for 10 sessions.
This is a specific type of speech-language therapy that focuses on simultaneously improving auditory comprehension and behavioral attention. All study participants will receive 10 sessions of this treatment.
Syracuse University
Syracuse, New York, United States
Language Specific Attention Treatment Probe
Measurement of auditory comprehension for untrained sentence-level stimuli. Participants listen to a sentence and are asked to answer comprehension questions about the sentence they heard. Results are reported as the percentage of correct responses out of the total number of items administered. Higher percentages indicate better performance and less auditory comprehension impairment.
Time frame: Pre-treatment: Baseline measure collected before treatment; Post-treatment: 5-6 weeks after baseline; Follow-up: 10-11 weeks after baseline
Continuous Performance Test
Change in sustained attention as measured by mean reaction time on the Continuous Performance Test. Participants monitor a screen and press a button for all stimuli except a specific 'no-go' target. The value reported is the mean response time in milliseconds (ms) for correct 'go' trials; a decrease in time indicates improved processing speed.
Time frame: Pre-treatment: Baseline measure collected before treatment; Post-treatment: 5-6 weeks after baseline; Follow-up: 10-11 weeks after baseline
Attention Network Test
The Attention Network Test (ANT) is a computerized task that measures the efficiency of three distinct attentional networks: Alerting, Orienting, and Executive (Conflict) control. Alerting Network Score: Calculated by subtracting the mean reaction time (RT) of double-cue trials from no-cue trials. Range: -500ms to +500ms. Higher positive scores represent a greater alerting benefit. Orienting Network Score: Calculated by subtracting the mean RT of spatial-cue trials from center-cue trials. Range: -500ms to +500ms. Higher positive scores represent a greater orienting benefit. Conflict (Executive) Network Score: Calculated by subtracting the mean RT of congruent flanker trials from incongruent flanker trials. Range: -500ms to +1000ms. Lower scores represent better executive control and less interference from distracting stimuli.
Time frame: Pre-treatment: Baseline measure collected before treatment; Post-treatment: 5-6 weeks after baseline; Follow-up: 10-11 weeks after baseline
Scenario Test
The Scenario Test assesses daily life communication and discourse through 6 multi-modal scenarios presented via pictures. Participants are prompted to respond to specific communicative situations. Performance is scored based on the effectiveness of communication (verbal and non-verbal) for each item. Results are reported as the average percentage of correct communicative acts out of the total possible score. Range: 0% to 100%, where higher percentages indicate better functional communication and less severe impairment.
Time frame: Pre-treatment: Baseline measure collected before treatment; Post-treatment: 5-6 weeks after baseline; Follow-up: 10-11 weeks after baseline
Revised Token Test
The Revised Token Test assesses auditory comprehension battery; 5 subtests were administered that contributed to the total score. Results are reported as a mean of the 5 subtest scores. Range of scores is 1 to 15, higher scores represent better performance and less severe auditory comprehension impairment.
Time frame: Pre-treatment: Baseline measure collected before treatment; Post-treatment: 5-6 weeks after baseline; Follow-up: 10-11 weeks after baseline
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