Active clinical trials for "Aphasia"

This study aims at contributing with scientific evidence to the field of aphasia telerehabilitation. In Norway today, there is an unmet need for language training in post stroke aphasia and not all patients are offered language training. Early start of aphasia rehabilitation and satisfying intensity do not seem to be standard clinical practice. Language training by telemedicine could improve this situation, and this study seeks to answer the question whether aphasia rehabilitation delivered by videoconference can improve language function in aphasia post stroke.

This investigation uses a single-subject, adapted alternating research design to compare two different experimental conditions using music with lyrics combined with visual stimulation of the written lyrics, to extend the emotional word effect to phrases, in order to stimulate reading comprehension of the trained material for patients with aphasia. The two music conditions include 1) music with sung lyrics simultaneously with silent reading of the written lyrics; and 2) music with sung lyrics, followed by silent reading of the written lyrics (i.e. priming with the music). A control set without music will be used additionally within every third session to detect potential history and maturation effects. All conditions will be followed by a silent reading phrase-completion task composed of written words from the total combined sets of stimuli.

Aims: This exploratory trial will: Explore the feasibility of a definitive/phase III RCT on clinical and cost-effectiveness of peer-befriending for people with aphasia post-stroke. Investigate psychological and social wellbeing outcomes of participants, significant others, and peer befrienders. Explore the feasibility of a full economic evaluation of usual care + peer befriending versus usual care control. Design: Single blind, mixed methods, parallel group phase II RCT comparing usual care + peer-befriending vs. usual care, starting at discharge from hospital. The study will deliver on four work packages: development phase; RCT; qualitative study; economic evaluation. Participants (n=60) will be assessed three times up to 10 months post-randomisation. Outcome measures: Feasibility: feasibility of recruitment to definitive trial (proportion screened who meet criteria; proportion who consent; rate of consent); participant, significant other, peer befriender views on acceptability of procedures (qualitative study); number of missing/incomplete data on outcome measures; attrition rate at follow-up; potential value of conducting main trial using value of information analysis (economic evaluation); description of usual care; treatment fidelity of peer-befriending. Patient-reported outcomes will include mood, wellbeing, communication and social participation. Benefits: Peer befriending may help avert some of the serious psychological consequences of stroke, and prevent the need for more complex and costly psychological therapies.

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of dual site-dual channel non-invasive brain stimulation for recovery of language and cognitive function in post stroke patients. Simultaneous dual site-dual channel stimulation was applied by using two sets of transcranial direct current stimulation devices. All subjects will go through four conditions of transcranial direct current stimulation with for 30 minutes. Four conditions are 1) Dual stimulation: i) anodal stimulation on ipsilesional inferior frontal cortex, ii) anodal stimulation on ipsilesional dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. 2) Single stimulation 1: anodal stimulation on ipsilesional inferior frontal cortex and cathodal stimulation on contralesional inferior frontal cortex; 3) Single stimulation 2: anodal stimulation on ipsilesional inferior frontal cortex and cathodal stimulation on contralesional supraorbital area.

Around one third of stroke survivors will have aphasia, which means they will have difficulty talking, understanding, reading or writing. The main aims of this study are to assess: [1] the acceptability of an existing psychosocial intervention, solution focused brief therapy, to people with varying presentations of aphasia; and [2] the feasibility of conducting a future definitive trial investigating clinical and cost effectiveness.

In this study the investigators are examining the effectiveness of two different speech therapy protocols for word retrieval impairments experienced by individuals with stroke-induced aphasia. One treatment involves errorless naming treatment and the other employs verbal plus gestural facilitation of word retrieval. Participants will receive one of the two treatments over several months. Before and after treatment the investigators will administer several tests and conversational samples to examine changes associated with the treatments. The investigators hypothesize that, whereas both treatments will lead to improvements in words rehearsed in therapy, communication outcomes in conversation will be broader for the verbal plus gestural protocol.

The investigators have been offering computer assisted therapy of aphasia (CAT) as a complement to traditional treatments to aphasia patients of the "Service of Neurorehabilitation" for some years. The investigators have shown its efficacy in hospitalised patients with recently acquired aphasia. In addition to studies stressing the importance of treatment intensity, several studies suggest that pharmacological treatment can also improve recovery after a cerebral lesion. The underlying idea is that the administration of medication influencing the system of neurotransmitters can play a role in functional recovery. Studies have assessed mainly substances acting on the dopaminergic (amphetamine and bromocriptine) and GABAergic system (piracetam). The main objective of the present study concerns the evaluation of the effects of levodopa on recovery of anomia in patients with aphasia. In particular, the investigators use CAT to control intensity and quality of therapy and they will assess whether the administration of levodopa promotes recovery. In each patient, two periods of anomia therapy with CAT, each performed with a different word list, will be compared. In addition to speech therapy, each period will be associated with the administration of either levodopa and benserazide (Madopar ®), or placebo. Evaluations at baseline and after each treatment period will be performed with the material and denomination battery

The purpose of this study is to conduct a randomized clinical trial that assesses the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of an Intensive Comprehensive Aphasia Program (ICAP), specifically focusing on the variable of intensity. Half of the participants will receive 60 hours of intensive treatment over three weeks, while the other half will receive the same amount and type of comprehensive treatment distributed over 15 weeks.

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.

The purpose of this study is to assess the effects of non-invasive brain stimulation on memory and language ability in patients with two phenotypic variations of underlying Alzheimer disease pathology: amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and logopenic variant of primary progressive aphasia (lvPPA). This study will use repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) to stimulate nodes of networks that are thought to be affected in these two conditions. Specifically, a node of the Default Mode Network (DMN)-the angular gyrus (AG)-will be stimulated in aMCI patients; and a node of the language network-the posterior inferior frontal gyrus (pIFG) will be stimulated in patients with lvPPA. We will use functional connectivity MRI (fcMRI) to assess changes in functional network architecture following the stimulation. We will also assess putative cognitive improvements resulting from the stimulation by in-depth language testing in lvPPA patients and in-depth memory testing in aMCI patients.