Active clinical trials for "Aphasia"

Adults who sustain brain damage due to stroke, traumatic injury or surgery may develop difficulty finding words. This study compares the effectiveness of two behavior-based programs to improve picture naming ability in these individuals.

The study will invite 30 patients to join, and they will be arranged in the face to face group and telerehabilitation group randomly. In the telerehabilitation group, the investigators use the mobile device, which with the camera and speaker, for patients to practice the naming training at home, and assess the speech ability every 2-4weeks by speech therapist via telerehabilitation platform. Concise Chinese Aphasia Test (CCAT) and ASHA FACS conceptual framework Test will be used as the assessment tool for evaluation speech ability and functional ability. The investigators expect that patients can improve their speech ability, functional ability, and quality of life via telerehabilitation speech therapy. And the investigators can establish the standard telerehabilitation speech therapy protocol for aphasia therapy.

Stroke is the leading cause of adult disability in the United States, and aphasia is common following a stroke to the left hemisphere of the brain. Aphasia therapy can improve aphasia recover; however, very little is known about how different patients respond to different types of treatments. The purpose of this study is to understand how the following factors influence an individual's response to aphasia treatment: 1) biographical factors (e.g., age, education, gender), 2) post-stroke cognitive/linguistic abilities and learning potential, and 3) the location and extent of post-stroke brain damage. We are also interested in understanding the kinds of treatment materials that should be emphasized in speech/language treatment. Overall, the goal of the current research is to inform the clinical management of post-stroke aphasia by identifying factors that can predict how an individual will respond to different treatment methods.

Intensive therapy for aphasia has been demonstrated to improve language functioning after stroke or other neurological injury. However, recovery is generally not complete and new therapies are needed to improve outcomes. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been shown to improve outcomes with motor therapy after stroke. This study will examine the feasibility of using tDCS with intensive language therapy as a way of enhancing language outcomes in aphasia

Stroke often causes substantial problems in speaking or understanding speech. Treatments for these problems are currently very limited. Limited studies to date suggest that repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) to the side of the brain opposite to the side on which the stroke occurred may improve language function. The investigators are testing this hypothesis by giving daily 20 minute sessions of repeated TMS to the right (unaffected) side of the brain; the investigators test language function with a variety of tests both before and after the treatment with TMS and subjects are required to undergo functional MRI scans before and after treatment. TMS is a procedure in which a coil is placed next to the head of the subject and an electrical current passes through the coil causing a magnetic field that, in turn, causes a small electric current in the portion of the brain underneath the coil.

The most frequent consequence of a stroke is a communication impairment. When patients cannot articulate their needs, frustration and agitation are frequent responses, often resulting in poor optimization of post-stroke function. Staff's lack of knowledge of communication strategies exacerbates the problem. A key component of patient-centred care is the ability of staff to communicate in such a way that allows them to understand the patient's needs. Members of our team developed the patient-centred communication intervention (PCCI) targeting registered and unregulated staff caring for complex continuing care (CCC) patients with communication impairments post stroke. The purpose of the study is to examine if the PCCI results in improved patients' quality of life and in improved staff attitudes and skills in caring for patients with communication impairments.

Aphasia is a disorder of language processing caused by a lesion in particular brain regions. Treatment aims at improving or restoring impaired function or at compensating for deficits. More recently, computer technology has been integrated into treatment options. In this study, a detailed and comprehensive computerized software program for aphasia rehabilitation is designed for the treatment of Arabic speaking Egyptian aphasic patients. Aim of the study: design a computerized software program for the rehabilitation of Arabic speaking Egyptian aphasic patients.

An intensive, interdisciplinary treatment program was administered during the summer as part of regular clinic services in the Aphasia Resource Center (ARC) at Sargent College. This program was run program as described for three years. Not more than six native English speakers with mild or moderate profiles of aphasia and multidisciplinary rehabilitation needs (OT,PT, SLP and nutrition) were recruited from the Boston community to participate in an intensive interdisciplinary treatment program for four weeks during the month of June 2013. The program consists of approximately six hours of interdisciplinary treatment each day, five days per week over a four-week interval. Treatment is individualized using current evidence-based treatment approaches, which are commonly accepted protocols in clinical practice and will be administered by clinical faculty and staff from Speech-Language and Hearing Sciences, Occupational Therapy (OT), Physical Therapy (PT), the Center for Neurorehabilitation and Nutrition. Segments of these types of treatments are available for a small fee as part of our service in the Aphasia Resource Center; however, this comprehensive, interdisciplinary program is not available of this research study. Approximately 30 hours of therapy per week are provided -- 6 hours per day over 5 days consisting of Speech-language Pathology, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Nutrition Counseling.

The purpose of this study is to assess the changes in language processing of patients with chronic aphasia after receiving non-invasive brain stimulation.Previous research using traditional transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) using 2 sponge electrodes has shown that persons with aphasia show more improvement after treatment when that treatment is accompanied by brain stimulation. Traditional tDCS has recently been modified to deliver current to more specific locations in the brain. This new delivery method is called high-definition tDCS (HD-tDCS). It is not known whether traditional tDCS (more diffuse current delivery) or HD-tDCS (more focal current delivery) will be the better approach for enhancing treatment outcomes. To answer this question, computerized speech-language treatment will be administered during the application of the different forms of brain stimulation.

The purpose of this study is to determine if an "intentional act" improves treatment response for patients with nonfluent aphasia. The treatment involves naming pictures and saying members of categories. The "intentional act" requires initiating picture naming or category member trials with a left-hand movement sequence. Nonfluent aphasia is a disorder of language production in which patients with damage to the brain's language system have trouble initiating and maintaining spoken communication. All patients participating in the study take part in functional MRI scans to determine how treatments affect brain systems.