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Aphasia Rehabilitation with tDCS Stimulation

This study is investigating if adding transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS), a non-invasive brain stimulation technique, to speech therapy can better improve language recovery in people with Broca's aphasia (a type of aphasia affecting speech production) compared to speech therapy alone. Researchers will compare speech therapy with active tDCS using the Soterix 1x1 Transcranial Electrical Stimulation Clinical Trials device, to speech therapy with a sham (inactive) tDCS. The main goal is to see if this combination improves naming ability over 4 weeks after treatment. The study plans to enroll 130 participants between 25 and 80 years old who have aphasia from a left hemisphere stroke and have used English as their primary language for over 15 years. The current recruitment status is unclear.

Study design
This is a randomized, controlled, and double-blinded study, meaning participants are assigned to groups by chance, there's a comparison group, and neither you nor your doctors will know which treatment you are receiving. It's an adaptive Phase II/III study, aiming to enroll 130 participants.
What's involved
Not specified in the trial record.
Compensation
Not stated in the trial record.
Follow-up
Your naming ability will be measured from the start of the study until 4 weeks after your treatment ends.

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

NCT07688551

Superiority Trial of Aphasia-focused Rehabilitation With tDCS Stimulation

Recruiting
PHASE2Ages 25–80InterventionalTreatment
University of South Carolina
~130 participants
Updated 2026-07-21 on ClinicalTrials.gov
What's tested:tDCS

At a glance

Recruiting sites
3 of 3 listed sites are recruiting right now
RecruitingSuspended, closed, or not yet open
What they're measuring
Naming
Measured over From baseline assessment to 4-weeks post treatment

Conditions

Aphasia
Broca's Aphasia

Explore related trials

Broca's Aphasia

Where it's being run

3 sites across 2 states
South Carolina2
Utah1

Who to contact

Leonardo Bonilha
[email protected]
803-216-3469
Email the study team

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Do you actually qualify for this trial?

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Eligibility criteria

Inclusion

Be willing and able to give informed consent.
Be willing and able to comply with study requirements.
Be between 25 and 80 years of age.
Have used English as the primary language for \> 15 years.
Have the diagnosis of aphasia due to a left hemisphere stroke, confirmed by study physician based on past clinical MRI scan or research scan.
Be greater than 6 months post-stroke.
Have Broca's aphasia diagnosed by the WAB-R (fluency score ≤ 5, auditory verbal comprehension score 4-10, repetition score 0-7.9, naming and word finding score \< 9).
Correctly name 140 or fewer items on the PNT.

Exclusion

History of brain surgery except for during the treatment of the acute stroke.
Seizures during the previous 12-months.
Compromised skin at or near electrode sites (e.g., rash, eczema, wounds, infection).
Correctly name more than 140 out of 175 items during the pre-treatment picture naming test (Philadelphia Naming Test).
Western Aphasia Battery-Revised Aphasia Quotient (WAB-R AQ) score of 25 or below.
Participants with open skull defects (e.g., greater than 1 cm) in the area underneath the anode electrode positioning or participants with metal implants or electrical stimulators.
Participants with continuous oxygen therapy which cannot be discontinued for more than 1 hour.
Any condition or situation that the PI determines would significantly interfere with the participant's ability to complete the study.

What this trial measures

  • NamingFrom baseline assessment to 4-weeks post treatment

    Change in the number of correctly named items between the average of the two pre-treatment Philadelphia Naming Test (PNT) assessments and the average of the two post-treatment PNT sessions at 4-weeks post treatment.