Wearable Biofeedback for Swallowing Disorders Rehabilitation in Stroke and Parkinson Disease

{ "Wearable Biofeedback for Swallowing Disorders in Stroke and Parkinson Disease", "This study is testing new ways to help people with swallowing difficulties (dysphagia) caused by stroke or Parkinson's disease. Researchers are comparing a wearable device called i-Phagia, which uses surface electromyography (sEMG) biofeedback to help you practice swallowing, against standard care. You would either use the i-Phagia device in person at a clinic, use it remotely from home with telehealth, or receive standard swallowing therapy without the device. The study aims to see if these methods improve your swallowing ability and how well you can eat by mouth. To join, you need to be between 50 and 90 years old, have a confirmed diagnosis of stroke (at least 3 months ago) or Parkinson's disease, and have confirmed swallowing difficulties.", "design": "This interventional study plans to enroll 120 participants. It compares three different approaches to swallowing rehabilitation.", "commitments": "Participants will complete a standardized swallowing rehabilitation program for 12 weeks. This includes weekly treatment sessions and 3 days of home practice per week.", "compensation": "Not stated in the trial record.", "follow_up": "Your swallowing ability will be checked before treatment, up to one week after treatment, and again 12 weeks after treatment.", }

Study design
Not specified.
What's involved
Not specified in the trial record.
Compensation
Not stated in the trial record.
Follow-up
Not specified.

AI-generated from the public study record. Only the study team can confirm whether you're eligible — confirm details with them before making decisions.

NCT06638944

Wearable Biofeedback for Swallowing Disorders Rehabilitation in Stroke and Parkinson Disease

Recruiting
PHASE2Ages 50–90InterventionalTreatment
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
~120 participants
Updated 2026-09-11 on ClinicalTrials.gov
What's tested:In-person sEMG-biofeedbackRemote sEMG-biofeedbackStandard-of-care treatment

At a glance

Recruiting sites
2 of 2 listed sites are recruiting right now
RecruitingSuspended, closed, or not yet open
What they're measuring
Penetration-Aspiration Scale (PAS)
Measured over Pre-treatment; up to 1 week post-treatment; and at a 12-week follow-up
+2 more outcomes measured
Dysphagia
Stroke
Parkinson Disease

NCT06638944

Where you'd take part

This study runs at 2 sites. They're the same protocol — you choose where, and that choice sets who your contact draft is addressed to.

  • Purdue University

    West Lafayette, Indianastudy coordinator listed

    Recruiting

  • University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

    Champaign, Illinoisstudy coordinator listed

    Recruiting

Sites open and close at different times, so the status above is per site — it can differ from the study's overall status.

  • Georgia Malandraki, PhD · PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR · University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

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Eligibility criteria

Inclusion

50-90 years old
a confirmed (by a neurologist/physician) diagnosis of stroke at least 3 months post event, or of PD (Hoehn and Yahr Stages II-IV)
score in the normal/mild range on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), determined during an in-house screening
confirmed oropharyngeal dysphagia, as evaluated during the intervention eligibility assessment by a certified and trained Speech Language Pathologist (SLP)
accuracy of exercise performance; as evaluated during the intervention eligibility assessment by a certified and trained SLP
independent (or with caregiver support) use of i-Phagia system post pre-intervention training session; as evaluated during the intervention eligibility assessment by a certified and trained SLP

Exclusion

known allergy to barium or known/suspected perforation or obstruction of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract
recent history of pneumonia (past 6 months)
head and neck surgery, radiation or trauma
a score in the moderate-severe range on MoCA (screened during in-house screening)
other neurological/neuromuscular disorders (e.g., multiple sclerosis, brain tumor, myositis, etc)
difficulty complying due to neuropsychological dysfunction determined during the in-house screening
currently enrolled in swallow or speech therapy
facial hair in the submental (under the chin) area and refusing to shave.
known allergies relating to the Ten20® Conductive Paste (this is the conductive paste used to help with sensors signal and adherence to the skin) and/or any of the sensor materials (gold/acrylic) that come into contact with the skin
no oropharyngeal dysphagia; as evaluated during the intervention eligibility assessment by the certified and trained SLP
inability to perform the prescribed exercises accurately after a maximum of 12 practice trials; as evaluated during the intervention eligibility VFSS assessment by the certified and trained SLP
inability to use the system accurately post training (for i-Phagia groups); as evaluated during the intervention eligibility assessment by the certified and trained SLP
inability to safely swallow (without aspiration) at least one consistency; as evaluated during the intervention eligibility assessment by the certified and trained SLP
  • Penetration-Aspiration Scale (PAS)Pre-treatment; up to 1 week post-treatment; and at a 12-week follow-up

    The Penetration Aspiration Scale (PAS) is an 8-point scale, where 1 indicates a completely safe swallow without any penetration or aspiration present, and 8 indicates the most severe degree of aspiration with no attempt to clear the aspirated material. The PAS will be rated by trained investigators blinded to group/arm and time.

  • Functional Oral Intake Scale (FOIS)Pre-treatment; up to 1 week post-treatment; and at a 12-week follow-up

    The Functional Oral Intake Scale (FOIS) is a 7-point ordinal scale (1 indicating nothing by mouth-NPO; and 7 indicating eating without restrictions). It will be rated by the evaluating speech-language pathologist/investigator based on patient report of current diet, to assess functional ability for oral intake.

  • Normalized sEMG amplitudePre-treatment; up to 1 week post-treatment; and at a 12-week follow-up

    Normalized surface electromyography (sEMG) amplitude values during standardized swallow tasks and maneuvers will be collected at the evaluation time points. The sEMG data will be analyzed by blinded to group/arm and time investigators using a custom-made EMG analysis Matlab script.