Neurobiology of Language Recovery in Aphasia: Natural History and Treatment-Induced Recovery

Northwestern University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Anomia; Stroke; Agrammatism; Aphasia; Dysgraphia

Treatments: Behavioral: No Treatment; Behavioral: Treatment Focusing on Improving Sentence Processing; Behavioral: Treatment Focusing on Improving Spelling Abilities; Behavioral: Treatment Focusing on Naming Objects

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; NIH

Identifiers

NCT01927302

P50

P50DC012283 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of treatment for specific language deficits in people with aphasia. In addition to language and cognitive measures, changes in brain function will also be gathered before and after the treatment is administered in order to track any changes resulting from receiving treatment.

Full description

Naming Impairments (Anomia):

The labs of Dr. Swathi Kiran (Boston University) and Dr. David Caplan (Harvard University, Massachusetts General Hospital) will be studying language recovery in adults with anomia (naming impairments) following a stroke. Participants will receive treatment focusing on the semantic features of common objects (e.g., that birds can fly). The study will examine how naming and other language abilities change in response to treatment, as well as how the brain changes, as measured by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and other techniques.

Spelling/Writing Impairments (Dysgraphia):

At Johns Hopkins University, the lab of Dr. Brenda Rapp will investigate the neurobiology of language recovery in individuals with dysgraphia (spelling/writing impairments) resulting from a stroke. In this study, treatment will focus on improving spelling ability. The study will examine how spelling and other language abilities change in response to treatment, as well as how the brain changes, as measured by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and other techniques.

Deficits in Sentence Comprehension & Production:

Dr. Cynthia Thompson's lab at Northwestern University will investigate language recovery in individuals with deficits in sentence production and comprehension. Treatment focuses on production and comprehension of complex sentences. At baseline (week 0) and after the treatment period (at week 12), participants take part in language, eye-tracking, and MRI testing, in order to learn how the processing of language, as well as brain function, changes as a result of treatment.

Enrollment: 90 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 35 to 80 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Aphasia following a stroke
• Stoke was at least 1 year ago
• Medically stable
• Right-handed
• Normal or 'corrected to normal' vision and hearing
• English as primary language
• At least a high school education

Exclusion criteria

• History of neurological disease, head trauma, psychiatric disorders, alcoholism, or developmental speech, language, or learning disabilities

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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90 participants in 3 patient groups

Naming Deficits

Experimental group

Description:

Language treatment will focus on improving naming deficits in people who have aphasia. An experimental group will receive treatment focusing on naming objects and a control/natural history group will receive no treatment. Both groups will be assessed at baseline (week 0), at week 12, and at week 24.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Treatment Focusing on Naming Objects

Behavioral: No Treatment

Spelling and/or Writing Deficits

Experimental group

Description:

Language treatment will focus on improving writing and/or spelling deficits in people who have aphasia. An experimental group will receive treatment focusing on improving spelling abilities and a control/natural history group will receive no treatment. Both groups will be assessed at baseline (week 0), at week 12, and at week 24.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Treatment Focusing on Improving Spelling Abilities

Behavioral: No Treatment

Sentence Processing

Experimental group

Description:

Language treatment will focus on improving sentence comprehension and production deficits in people who have aphasia. An experimental group will receive treatment focusing on improving sentence processing and a control/natural history group will receive no treatment. Both groups will be assessed at baseline (week 0), at week 12, and at week 24.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Treatment Focusing on Improving Sentence Processing

Behavioral: No Treatment