40 Participants Needed

Speech Entrainment for Aphasia

SZ
Overseen ByShauna Zodrow, BA
Age: 18+
Sex: Any
Trial Phase: Academic
Sponsor: Albert Einstein Healthcare Network
No Placebo GroupAll trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Trial Summary

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications.

What data supports the effectiveness of the treatment Audiovisual Speech Entrainment Practice for aphasia?

Research shows that speech entrainment, where patients mimic an audiovisual speech model, significantly improves speech fluency in individuals with non-fluent aphasia, such as Broca's aphasia. Studies found that patients could produce a greater variety of words and improve speech output after using this treatment, suggesting it helps enhance speech production.12345

Is speech entrainment therapy safe for humans?

The research does not report any safety concerns for speech entrainment therapy in humans, suggesting it is generally safe for use in individuals with aphasia.12456

How is the treatment Speech Entrainment Therapy different from other treatments for aphasia?

Speech Entrainment Therapy is unique because it involves mimicking an audiovisual speech model, which helps improve speech fluency by synchronizing brain areas involved in language. This approach allows patients with non-fluent aphasia to produce more fluent speech compared to traditional methods, which often struggle to achieve such results.12357

What is the purpose of this trial?

The objective of this research is to experimentally delineate the direct effect of speech entrainment practice on independent speech production and identify practice conditions that enhance treatment benefits. The primary outcome measure (Correct Information Units per minute) tallies informativeness and efficiency of independent speech in treated stories.

Research Team

MM

Marja-Liisa Mailend, PhD

Principal Investigator

Albert Einstein Healthcare Network

Eligibility Criteria

This trial is for English-speaking adults aged 18-80 with aphasia, which affects their ability to communicate. They must be more than six months post-onset and have a specific score on the Western Aphasia Battery - Revised test. Participants need to commit to multiple sessions either at the testing site or at home.

Inclusion Criteria

More than six months since symptoms started.
English is my first language.
You have difficulty speaking and understanding language.
See 2 more

Exclusion Criteria

You have a history of struggling with learning.
I have a history of neurological problems.

Timeline

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Treatment

Participants engage in speech entrainment practice, including auditory and audiovisual modalities, to enhance independent speech production.

Varies per participant
Multiple sessions (in-person)

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for speech production effectiveness one day post-treatment.

1 day

Treatment Details

Interventions

  • Audiovisual Speech Entrainment Practice
  • Auditory Speech Entrainment Practice
  • Speech Entrainment Practice
Trial Overview The study tests two types of speech entrainment practices: audiovisual and auditory, to improve independent speech in people with aphasia. It measures how informative and efficient their speech is after treatment when telling stories.
Participant Groups
2Treatment groups
Experimental Treatment
Group I: Auditory Speech Entrainment PracticeExperimental Treatment2 Interventions
Auditory Speech Entrainment includes repeated practice of speaking synchronously with a recorded model, which provides contextual, temporal, and auditory cues for speaking.
Group II: Audiovisual Speech Entrainment PracticeExperimental Treatment2 Interventions
Audiovisual Speech Entrainment includes repeated practice of speaking synchronously with a recorded model, which provides contextual, temporal, and audiovisual cues for speaking.

Find a Clinic Near You

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Albert Einstein Healthcare Network

Lead Sponsor

Trials
65
Recruited
869,000+

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)

Collaborator

Trials
377
Recruited
190,000+

Findings from Research

The SpARc trial is a multicenter phase II clinical trial involving 80 adults with chronic post-stroke non-fluent aphasia, aiming to evaluate the effectiveness of speech entrainment therapy (SET) over different durations (3, 4.5, or 6 weeks) compared to a control group.
Previous pilot studies indicated that SET can significantly improve speech production, as measured by verbs per minute (VPM), suggesting that this therapy may enhance fluent spontaneous speech in individuals with non-fluent aphasia.
Speech Entrainment for Aphasia Recovery (SpARc) phase II trial design.Cassarly, C., Doyle, A., Ly, T., et al.[2023]
Speech entrainment (SE) helps individuals with non-fluent aphasia improve their speech fluency by normalizing functional connectivity between key language regions in the brain, making it more similar to that of neurotypical speakers.
In a study involving 24 individuals with aphasia and 20 controls, SE was found to enhance connectivity patterns during speech production, suggesting that SE may be an effective therapeutic approach for improving speech output in aphasia.
Functional Connectivity and Speech Entrainment Speech Entrainment Improves Connectivity Between Anterior and Posterior Cortical Speech Areas in Non-fluent Aphasia.Johnson, L., Yourganov, G., Basilakos, A., et al.[2022]
Speech entrainment significantly improves speech fluency in individuals with non-fluent aphasia, as shown by better timing adjustments in their speech compared to spontaneous speech, based on a study of 31 stroke survivors.
The study found that while most acoustic measures of speech timing improved with speech entrainment, the adjustments made by non-fluent speakers led to more typical speech patterns, which could enhance their perceived naturalness and social acceptance.
Speech timing changes accompany speech entrainment in aphasia.Feenaughty, L., Basilakos, A., Bonilha, L., et al.[2021]

References

Speech Entrainment for Aphasia Recovery (SpARc) phase II trial design. [2023]
Functional Connectivity and Speech Entrainment Speech Entrainment Improves Connectivity Between Anterior and Posterior Cortical Speech Areas in Non-fluent Aphasia. [2022]
Speech timing changes accompany speech entrainment in aphasia. [2021]
Speech entrainment compensates for Broca's area damage. [2018]
Speech entrainment enables patients with Broca's aphasia to produce fluent speech. [2023]
Rhythm as a coordinating device: entrainment with disordered speech. [2021]
Neural structures supporting spontaneous and assisted (entrained) speech fluency. [2020]
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