← Back to searchRecruitingRecruiting
Remotely-supervised Neuromodulation in PPA
NCT07260253 · University of Texas at Austin
In plain English
Click the button to translate this study into plain language — what it is, who qualifies, and what participation looks like.
Official title
Investigating the Benefits of Remotely-Supervised Neuromodulation In Primary Progressive Aphasia
About this study
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether remotely-supervised transcranial direct-current stimulation (RS-tDCS) can improve speech and language treatments for individuals with logopenic variant primary progressive aphasia (lvPPA). tDCS is a form of brain stimulation where a low-level electrical current is delivered to the brain through electrodes placed on the head.
The main questions the trial aims to answer are:
* Is it feasible to do RS-tDCS with virtual speech therapy?
* How can brain magnetic resonance imaging scans (MRIs) predict how well someone will benefit from RS-tDCS with virtual speech therapy?
Researchers will compare active RS-tDCS stimulation to sham stimulation (where there is no active stimulation, but participants feel stimulation effects at the beginning and end of the session).
Participants will:
* Travel to either the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) or the University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) one time for in-person testing, an MRI scan, and training on how to use the RS-tDCS equipment
* Meet with a speech-language pathologist for pre-treatment testing on Zoom for 2 weeks
* Participate in speech-language therapy and independent practice on Zoom 5 days a week for 4 weeks, using either active tDCS stimulation or sham
* Complete post-treatment testing on Zoom for 1-2 weeks
* Complete follow-up testing 2 months after completion of treatment
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
* Meets diagnostic criteria for primary progressive aphasia (PPA)
* Meets diagnostic criteria for logopenic variant PPA
* Score of 20 or higher on the Mini-Mental State Examination
* Adequate hearing and vision (with hearing or vision aids, if needed)
* Has a study partner that can co-enroll in the study and attend pre-treatment training as well as continue to be present for teleconference meetings, as needed
* Able and willing to undergo MRI brain scan
* Access to high speed internet and basic experience using a computer and the internet
* Individuals should be fluent speakers of English
Exclusion Criteria:
* Speech and language deficits better accounted for by another neurological disorder
* Does not meet diagnostic criteria for logopenic variant PPA
* Score of less than 20 on the Mini-Mental State Examination
* Does not have a study partner who can co-enroll in the study
* Contraindications for tDCS or MRI scan (History of seizures, head injury, craniotomy, skull surgery or fracture; History of severe or frequent migraines; Metallic implant in head or any metal in head; Pacemaker or cardioverter-defibrillator or any other stimulator; Chronic skin problems; Pregnancy)
* History of stroke, epilepsy, or significant brain injury
Study design
Enrollment target: 80 participants
Allocation: randomized
Masking: quadruple
Age groups: adult, older_adult
Timeline
Starts: 2026-01
Estimated completion: 2029-08
Last updated: 2025-12-18
Interventions
Behavioral: Lexical Retrieval Cascade TreatmentDevice: Remotely Supervised Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation
Primary outcomes
- • Change in spoken naming (change from pre-treatment to one month and three months after onset of treatment in each phase (stimulation and sham))
Sponsor
University of Texas at Austin · other
With: National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Contacts & investigators
ContactAphasia Lab Research Coordinator · contact · aphasialab@austin.utexas.edu · 512-471-3420
InvestigatorMaya L Henry, PhD · principal_investigator, University of Texas at Austin
All locations (2)
UCSF Memory and Aging CenerRecruiting
San Francisco, California, United States
University of TexasRecruiting
Austin, Texas, United States