NCT01927302

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

The Center for the Neurobiology of Language Recovery (CNLR)

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 90 (actual)
• Sponsor: Northwestern University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 35 Years – 80 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

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.

Detailed 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.

Conditions

• Aphasia
• Dysgraphia
• Anomia
• Agrammatism
• Stroke

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Treatment Focusing on Naming Objects	Treatment will be administered from week 0 until week 12.
BEHAVIORAL	Treatment Focusing on Improving Spelling Abilities	Treatment will be administered from week 0 until week 12.
BEHAVIORAL	Treatment Focusing on Improving Sentence Processing	Treatment will be administered from week 0 until week 12.
BEHAVIORAL	No Treatment	No treatment will be administered.

Timeline

• Start date: 2013-04-01
• Primary completion: 2019-03-27
• Completion: 2019-03-27
• First posted: 2013-08-22
• Last updated: 2021-08-11

Locations

4 sites across 1 country: United States