RecruitingPhase 2NCT06842745

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation + Language Therapy to Treat Mild Aphasia

Personalized Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation and Constraint Induced Language Therapy to Treat Mild Post-Stroke Aphasia

Sponsor

University of Pennsylvania

Enrollment

24 participants

Start Date

Feb 11, 2025

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Conditions

Stroke Aphasia Aphasia, Acquired Aphasia Following Cerebral Infarction

Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to determine if Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) combined with Speech-Language Therapy (SLT) is an effective treatment for mild aphasia in persons with chronic stroke. The main questions this study aims to answer are: 1. Can TMS combined with SLT improve conversational speech and comprehension? 2. Can we identify specific behavioral and biological characteristics that would benefit most from the TMS and SLT treatment? Researchers will compare real TMS to sham (fake) TMS to see whether TMS can treat post-stroke mild aphasia. Participants will: * Complete a screening and medical intake to determine eligibility * Undergo a MRI * Participate in 10 consecutive sessions (Monday-Friday) of TMS and SLT treatment * Complete follow-up assessments 2 and 4 months after treatment

Eligibility

Min Age: 40 YearsMax Age: 85 Years

Inclusion Criteria4

Left Hemisphere stroke
Stroke occurred more than 6 months ago
Mild Aphasia (WAB AQ score \> 85)
Proficient in English

Exclusion Criteria6

Ongoing substance or alcohol abuse
Other neurological disorders, beside stroke (i.e. dementia, traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis)
Active psychiatric disorders (i.e. bipolar disorder, schizophrenia)
Pacemaker or cardiac defibrillator
Diagnosis of tinnitus
Epilepsy, or seizure in the past 6 months

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Interventions

DEVICETranscranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)

TMS, is a form of non-invasive brain stimulation, that uses magnetic pulses to stimulate specific areas of the brain. In this study we will utilize theta-burst stimulation which uses a higher frequency pulse of 50 Hz delivered for 40 seconds for a total of 600 pulses.

BEHAVIORALSpeech-Language Therapy (SLT)

Our SLT protocol draws from two theories and evidence-based cognitive-linguistic frameworks: (1) conversational alignment, which engages priming of lexical and syntactic structures through dialogue and conversation and (2) increased tolerance of memory load in the context of sentence repetition and dialogue tasks. Administration of these tasks will abide by principles of constraint-induced language therapy, i.e., intense treatment schedule and verbal responding only. All participants will receive SLT.