Delayed Word Repetition for Aphasia

Overseen By Nadine Martin, Ph.D.

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Temple University

Disqualifiers: Mental illness, Alcohol/substance abuse, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: Unknown

Duration: 6 weeks

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial aims to test a new treatment approach for people with aphasia, a condition that affects speech and language skills, often due to a stroke. The study will explore whether repeating words after a short delay can improve word processing and verbal short-term memory. This approach is part of the Theory-Driven Treatment of Language and Cognitive Processes in Aphasia. Individuals who have had aphasia for at least six months after a stroke, are right-handed, and have no history of mental illness or substance abuse might be a good fit for this trial. Participants are invited to join, so there is no open enrollment. As an unphased trial, this study offers a unique opportunity to contribute to groundbreaking research in aphasia treatment.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications. It's best to discuss this with the trial coordinators.

What prior data suggests that this treatment approach is safe for people with aphasia?

Research has shown that treatments for aphasia, such as repeating words after a short pause, are generally safe. Studies have found that these therapies can help individuals with aphasia improve their ability to name objects and process words. This is encouraging because the treatment is not only effective but also well-tolerated.

While specific data on side effects for this exact method is lacking, behavioral therapies typically carry a low risk of negative effects. They mainly involve activities like speaking and repeating words, which are non-invasive and do not use medication. Participants can feel confident that this treatment is likely safe based on knowledge from similar therapies. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about the "Delayed Word Repetition" treatment for aphasia because it offers a new approach by incorporating a time delay in word repetition. Unlike traditional speech therapy that focuses on immediate repetition, this method introduces a 5 or 10-second delay, engaging both language and cognitive processes to potentially enhance short-term memory function. This unique time-delay technique could lead to more effective language recovery by challenging and strengthening the brain's ability to process and recall words, offering hope for improved outcomes in people with aphasia.

What evidence suggests that this treatment might be an effective treatment for aphasia?

Research has shown that repeating words after a short pause can help people with aphasia improve their language skills. In this trial, participants will receive a behavioral treatment involving word repetition after a time delay. One study found that patients performed better at naming tasks after waiting 5 seconds before repeating the word. Another study found that this practice made people faster and more accurate at naming pictures. Improvements typically occurred with the specific words practiced during the treatment. These findings suggest that waiting briefly before repeating words can enhance short-term memory and word processing in people with aphasia. ^{6 7 8 9 10}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Nadine Martin, Ph.D.

Principal Investigator

Temple University

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for right-handed adults aged 21-80 with aphasia due to a single left hemisphere stroke, at least six months post-stroke. Participants must have high school education or higher, English proficiency, good hearing and vision (with aids if needed), and no history of mental illness, neurological disease unrelated to stroke, substance abuse, or inability to consent.

Inclusion Criteria

You can hear sounds at specific frequencies in at least one ear, even with the help of correction like hearing aids.

You have a lesion in the left side of your brain.

You have had a stroke at least six months ago.

Exclusion Criteria

Pregnant

You have a history of mental illness.

You have had mental health issues in the past.

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Treatment

Participants receive behavioral treatment involving word repetition after a time delay to improve word processing and verbal STM abilities

6 weeks

Weekly sessions

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for safety and effectiveness after treatment

4 weeks

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Theory-Driven Treatment of Language and Cognitive Processes in Aphasia

Trial Overview The study tests a treatment based on the 'activation-maintenance hypothesis' which suggests that verbal short-term memory and word processing impairments in aphasia are linked. The intervention involves repeating words after a time delay to improve language processing and memory in people with aphasia.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Word repetition after a tiem delay Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

People with Aphasia and Short-Term Memory impairment will receive a behavioral treatment: Word repetition after a time delay. This is the intervention: repetition of words after a 5 or 10 second delay.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Temple University

Lead Sponsor

Trials

321

Recruited

89,100+

University of Pennsylvania

Collaborator

Trials

2,118

Recruited

45,270,000+

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)

Collaborator

Trials

377

Recruited

190,000+

Published Research Related to This Trial

In a study involving 10 individuals with anomic aphasia and 6 healthy adults, repeated naming of objects led to higher accuracy and faster response times compared to naming actions, highlighting the differences in naming efficiency between object and action pictures.

Individuals with anomic aphasia showed variability in response times across trials, unlike healthy participants who improved their response times, suggesting that their retrieval processes may be less efficient and could benefit from targeted interventions.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Response Time Inconsistencies in Object and Action Naming in Anomic Aphasia. Galletta, EE., Goral, M.[2019]

A study involving 10 adults with chronic post-stroke aphasia showed that phonological treatment for anomia led to significant improvements in naming accuracy for both treated and untreated words, with benefits observed at multiple follow-up points.

The research identified that early responsiveness to treatment cues and initial improvements in naming were strong predictors of overall treatment success, suggesting that strengthening lexical-phonological connections may facilitate generalization of treatment effects.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Mechanisms underlying anomia treatment outcomes. Simic, T., Chambers, C., Bitan, T., et al.[2021]

A semantic-based treatment for picture naming was effective for 2 out of 4 individuals with Broca's aphasia, leading to improved naming of both trained and untrained nouns.

For the other 2 participants, improvements in naming only occurred after additional treatment focused on phonological information, highlighting the importance of tailoring therapy to individual needs in lexical processing.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Model-based semantic treatment for naming deficits in aphasia. Drew, RL., Thompson, CK.[2019]

Citations

1. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3393127/

Remediation of language processing in aphasia: Improving ... Outcomes & Results. Improvement of repetition was mostly specific to treated stimuli. Post-treatment measures of language ability indicated improvements in ...

2. frontiersin.org frontiersin.org/journals/human-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2019.00406/full

The Effect of Delay on Naming Performance in Aphasia Six participants (22%) demonstrated a significant change in accuracy after a 5 s response delay. Three showed better performance after 5 s (KG47, CI63, and KC3) ...

3. academic.oup.com academic.oup.com/brain/article/141/6/1815/4974816

Time for a quick word? The striking benefits of training speed ... The novel treatment was significantly more effective in improving and maintaining picture naming accuracy and speed (reduced latencies).

4. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2976549/

Naming and repetition in aphasia: Steps, routes, and ... The same pattern was observed in auditory word repetition: patients made on average 4.26% nonword errors when the to-be-repeated word was high-frequency and ...

5. pubs.asha.org pubs.asha.org/doi/10.1044/2019_AJSLP-19-00046

The Use of Written Naming and Repetition to Treat ... The purpose of the study was to examine the use of a combined written naming + repetition (WN + REP) approach and an REP-only approach to treat naming deficits.

6. ncbi.ncbi.grantome.com ncbi.ncbi.grantome.com/grant/NIH/R01-DC013196-05

Theory-driven treatment of language and cognitive ... The aim of this research is to translate a theory of the cognitive relationship between verbal short-term memory (STM) and word processing impairments in ...

7. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10247540/

Theory-Driven Treatment Modifications: A Discussion on ... There is a growing body of literature demonstrating that language rehabilitation can improve naming impairments for individuals with aphasia.

8. frontiersin.org frontiersin.org/journals/human-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2025.1554147/full

Aphasia rehabilitation: a narrative review of adjuvant ... Taken together, there is ample evidence to support intention treatment as an adjuvant to aphasia rehabilitation by enhancing word production and supporting re- ...

9. tandfonline.com tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02687038.2025.2530572

a randomised control trial of a usage-based intervention Therapy for aphasic impairments has tended to focus on single-word processing, with comparatively few sentence-level therapies. Usage-based ...

10. neurology.org neurology.org/doi/10.1212/WNL.0000000000213424

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Combined With ... This study provides Class III evidence that in patients with aphasia 6 or more months after a stroke, 1-Hz rTMS combined with intensive M-MAT improves WAB-AQ ...