Evaluating Anodal tDCS Preceding Aphasia Therapy
Stroke, Aphasia
About this trial
This is an interventional treatment trial for Stroke focused on measuring stroke, aphasia, CVA, apraxia, cerebrovascular accident, cerebral stroke, speech therapy, aphasia therapy, non-invasive brain stimulation, transcranial direct current stimulation, tDCS
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
- ≥ 18 years of age
- First single focal unilateral left hemisphere lesion with diagnosis verified by brain imaging (MRI or CT scans) that occurred at least 6 months prior
- Pre-morbidly right handed
- Pre-morbidly fluent English speaker
- Cognitive function sufficient to understand the experiments and follow instructions (per interview with Speech Pathologist)
- A baseline Aphasia Quotient score between 10 to 94 out of 100 points on the Western Aphasia Battery (neither completely without language comprehension/expression nor fully recovered from aphasia).
Exclusion Criteria:
- Ongoing use of CNS-active medications
- Ongoing use of psychoactive medications, such as stimulants, antidepressants, and anti-psychotic medications
Presence of additional potential tDCS risk factors:
- Damaged skin at the site of stimulation (i.e., skin with ingrown hairs, acne, razor nicks, wounds that have not healed, recent scar tissue, broken skin, etc.)
- Presence of an electrically, magnetically or mechanically activated implant (including cardiac pacemaker), an intracerebral vascular clip, or any other electrically sensitive support system
- Metal in any part of the body, including metal injury to the eye (jewelry must be removed during stimulation)
- A history of medication-resistant epilepsy in the family
- Past history of seizures or unexplained spells of loss of consciousness during the previous 36 months
- Pregnancy in women, as determined by self-report
Sites / Locations
- Feinstein Institute for Medical Research
Arms of the Study
Arm 1
Arm 2
Experimental
Experimental
anodal tDCS, then sham tDCS
sham tDCS, then anodal tDCS
Participants received 1 single 20 min session of anodal tDCS + computerized naming therapy. Following a 1 week washout period, they received 1 single 20 min session of sham tDCS + computerized aphasia therapy. Sequence of stimulation conditions was randomized across participants.
Participants received 1 single 20 min session of sham tDCS + computerized naming therapy. Following a 1 week washout period, they received 1 single 20 min session of anodal tDCS + computerized aphasia therapy. Sequence of stimulation conditions was randomized across participants.