NCT01709383

Using Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) to Improve Post-Stroke Aphasia

Can Enhancing Left Lateralization Using Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Improve Recovery From Post-Stroke Aphasia?

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 38 (actual)
• Sponsor: Georgetown University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This study tests whether weak electrical stimulation of the brain is effective in improving language or reading difficulties occurring after a brain injury or stroke.

Detailed description

This study tests whether aphasia or alexia, language and reading disorders occurring after traumatic brain injury or stroke, can be improved using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). tDCS is a non-invasive technique that applies a small amount of direct electrical current to the brain in order to temporarily alter brain processing. Adults with aphasia/alexia resulting from stroke or traumatic brain injury will undergo baseline behavioral testing of various language and cognitive functions. Subjects who are willing to undergo MRI evaluation will also be scanned. They will then receive five days of either real or sham tDCS with standardized speech-language therapy, under a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled design. Behavioral assessments, and MRIs for those participating in the MRI portion of the study, will be performed again at multiple time points after completing tDCS to assess for changes in these measures.

Conditions

• Aphasia

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DEVICE	Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation	The tDCS treatments will be applied bilaterally, with the anodal electrode placed on the left temple and the cathodal electrode placed on the right temple. The tDCS will be applied at the beginning of 60-minute speech-language treatment sessions for five days across a one-week period.
DEVICE	Sham Stimulation	The sham tDCS will be applied at the beginning of 60-minute speech-language treatment sessions for five days across a one-week period.

Timeline

• Start date: 2012-12-01
• Primary completion: 2015-07-01
• Completion: 2015-09-01
• First posted: 2012-10-18
• Last updated: 2017-07-06
• Results posted: 2017-07-06

Locations

2 sites across 1 country: United States