Tablet-based Aphasia Therapy in the Chronic Phase

Ghent University Hospital (UZ)

Status: Completed

Conditions: Stroke; Aphasia

Treatments: Device: speech app; Device: brain games; Behavioral: aphasia therapy

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03622411

EC/2018/0909

Details and patient eligibility

About

Aphasia is one of the most common and disabling disorders following stroke, in many cases resolving in long-term deficits. There is evidence that intensive aphasia therapy is effective for language recovery, even in the chronic phase post-stroke. However, as many patients are left with residual language disorders and intensive aphasia rehabilitation is difficult to achieve, the investigators are exploring tablet-based therapies to further facilitate language recovery in a cost-effective manner.

Full description

This study will investigate the clinical effects of intensive tablet-based aphasia therapy as an add-on to conventional aphasia therapy (= high intensive) compared to conventional aphasia therapy (either alone, or in combination with recreational tablet use (= low intensive) in patients with aphasia following stroke, as measured by specific linguistic tests, within task improvements, functional communication and quality of life.

Furthermore, the investigators want to learn more about the recovery of specific underlying language processes via event-related potentials (ERPs). At last, the investigators aim to explore whether patients with aphasia are satisfied with a tablet-based aphasia therapy, whether the app is user-friendly and which barriers the participants might have encountered.

Enrollment: 15 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 85 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• diagnosed with mild-severe aphasia (token test score between 7 and 49) after a left hemispheric ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke
• inclusion starting from 6 months post-stroke
• age 18 - 85 years
• being right-handed (according to the questionnaire for handedness, Van Strien)
• mother tongue: Dutch
• imaging (CT or MRI) prior to inclusion
• signed informed consent

Exclusion criteria

• history of a previous stroke with persistent (> 24 hours) language symptoms
• history of other diseases of the central nervous system, psychological disorders and (developmental) speech and/or language disorders
• serious non-linguistic, cognitive disorders (as documented in the patients' medical history)
• inability to perform tablet-based tasks (based on a short training session)
• excessive use of alcohol or drugs

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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15 participants in 3 patient groups

aphasia therapy + speech app

Experimental group

Description:

3 hours per week of conventional aphasia therapy during 3 weeks + 5 hours per week during 3 weeks independent practice via the speech app

Treatment:

Device: speech app

Behavioral: aphasia therapy

aphasia therapy + brain games

Active Comparator group

Description:

3 hours per week of conventional aphasia therapy during 3 weeks + 5 hours per week during 3 weeks of recreational tables use (brain games)

Treatment:

Behavioral: aphasia therapy

Device: brain games

aphasia therapy

Active Comparator group

Description:

3 hours per week of conventional aphasia therapy during 3 weeks

Treatment:

Behavioral: aphasia therapy