Treatment for Aphasia
This study is evaluating whether multiple sessions of cerebellar tDCS can improve language function in people with aphasia.
See full descriptionAbout the trial for Aphasia
Treatment Groups
This trial involves 2 different treatments. Treatment is the primary treatment being studied. Participants will all receive the same treatment. Some patients will receive a placebo treatment. The treatments being tested are not being studied for commercial purposes.
Eligibility
This trial is for patients born any sex aged 18 and older. There are 6 eligibility criteria to participate in this trial as listed below.
Approximate Timelines
Measurement Requirements
This trial is evaluating whether Treatment will improve 7 secondary outcomes in patients with Aphasia. Measurement will happen over the course of Pre-treatment and at 1, 3 and 6 months post treatment.
Patient Q & A Section
Can aphasia be cured?
Aphasia was a chronically unstable disorder of speech and language, in that many changes occurred within a relatively short period-in most cases, a few months. The treatment depended on the severity of speech disorder involved. The aphasics were not cured of their language disorder; rather, they were provided with language acquisition techniques that promoted the development of functionally meaningful language. Even if they were not cured of their language disruption, the treatment was associated with a significant improvement in their social interactions.
How many people get aphasia a year in the United States?
Patients with aphasia accounted for 6,100 hospital discharges in the year 2001 in the United States. There were 2,800 people with a stroke, 6,200 with a traumatic brain injury, and 4,200 with a congenital disability or developmental delay. There are 2-3 times as many people with aphasia hospitalized as inpatients (9,700 vs. 2,700), 2-3 times more hospitalized (6,800 vs. 2,200), and 1.4 times more hospitalized per 100,000 population (27.7 vs. 9.2) than patients with stroke, traumatic brain injury, or congenital disabilities or developmental delay.
What are common treatments for aphasia?
This article presents treatments for different types of aphasia. Treatments for aphasia include speech therapy, psychosocial interventions, and complementary and alternative medicine. These treatments have been shown to improve the quality of life for individuals with aphasia. It is important, however, that the individualized treatment plan be carefully assessed and reviewed by a specialist on an as needed basis.
What causes aphasia?
The causes of aphasia are multiple and complex. They do not necessarily follow one specific path, even if they all occur at the same time. The most prevalent pathological process underlying fluent aphasia is a left temporal lobe process or disruption, with involvement of both the anterior and posterior language-bearing hemispheres, especially at or around the temporal poles, or in the posterior superior temporal cortex. Wernicke's area may be involved at times but does not always cause fluent aphasia.
What are the signs of aphasia?
Aphasia presents with abnormalities in language production, comprehension, and single word comprehension. The language output can include paraphasias and other pragmatic difficulties. Aphasics typically have difficulty understanding others and may have trouble following and understanding instructions given by other people, or difficulty responding to questions or verbal commands. They may have problems in speaking from a long distance, repeating a message, or reading the telephone book. Patients may also have problems with reading and writing, and difficulty understanding and saying goodbye.
What is aphasia?
Aphasia was frequently described in the literature. This is the first analysis of the frequency of aphasia in patients with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). Aphasia occurred in 26 patients and occurred in a variety of ways in each. Data from a recent study confirmed that the majority of patients with DLB can be classified using the aphasia diagnosis.
What are the common side effects of treatment?
In a recent study, findings highlights the common adverse effects of (chemo)radiotherapy in our outpatient radiation oncology department. The [pain] and [swelling] were the most common painful effects; [nausea, emesis, and headache] were common [acute] adverse effects, [and there was no statistically significant difference from patients who had received [chemoradiotherapy instead of stereotactic body radiotherapy].
Have there been other clinical trials involving treatment?
Patients with dysphagia should be offered clinical trials in order to improve survival. However, patients with dysphagia should be treated before offering clinical trials because there is a large risk of worsening dysphagia under chemotherapy. Patients should also understand the importance of treatment compliance because a small reduction in survival could possibly have a negative impact on their quality of life and their ability to function.
Does treatment improve quality of life for those with aphasia?
Treatment can improve the QoL of patients with aphasia, but many patients with aphasia are not receiving treatment. There is an urgent need for timely treatment to improve life satisfaction and QoL for aphasic patients.
Is treatment safe for people?
It is important that treatments for people with dysphagia are safe and well tolerated. In order to inform treatment, swallowing clinicians and researchers should understand the specific considerations related to this condition. Clinical trials on aspiration and dysphagia often result in people being recruited who are at high risk of having aspiration or aspiration pneumonia. Such people are at high risk of developing aspiration and pneumonia associated with dysphagia and can be prevented if they are identified at the right time and managed appropriately.
What is treatment?
Aphasia patients are treated according to their individual deficits and functional status in order to facilitate the reoccupation of activities of their daily life and work.
How does treatment work?
Recent findings of this study may serve as a model for the design of future trials. The most obvious conclusion to be drawn is that treatment is very efficient; but also very important is that the effect is not as large in the short term as has been reported in clinical trials of the past.