Cued Picture-Naming Therapy for Aphasia

Overseen By Grace Terry, MA, CFY-SLP

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Ohio State University

Disqualifiers: Severe motor speech, auditory comprehension, depression, others

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

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 7

Duration: 4 weeks

120 Participants Needed

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 Cued Picture-Naming Therapy for Aphasia?

Research shows that using phonological (sound-related) and semantic (meaning-related) cues can help people with aphasia improve their ability to name pictures. Studies have found that these cueing strategies can make naming faster and more accurate, suggesting they are effective components of the treatment. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Is Cued Picture-Naming Therapy safe for humans?

The research articles do not report any safety concerns related to Cued Picture-Naming Therapy for individuals with aphasia, suggesting it is generally safe for use in humans. ^{1 2 3 6 7}

How is cued picture-naming therapy different from other treatments for aphasia?

Cued picture-naming therapy is unique because it uses both semantic (meaning-based) and phonological (sound-based) cues to help people with aphasia improve their ability to name objects. This approach combines different types of cues to enhance the retrieval of words, making it potentially more effective than treatments that use only one type of cue. ^{1 2 3 5 7}

What is the purpose of this trial?

Aphasia, or language impairment after a stroke, affects approximately 2 million people in the United States, with an estimated 180,000 new cases each year. The medical community cannot predict how well someone with aphasia will respond to treatment, as some people with aphasia are poor responders to intervention even when participating in empirically supported treatments. There is a strong likelihood that genetics play a role in language recovery after stroke, but very little research has been dedicated to investigating this link. This study will investigate whether two genes and cognitive abilities, such as memory, predict responsiveness to aphasia therapy for word-retrieval difficulties.

Research Team

Stacy M Harnish, PhD

Principal Investigator

Ohio State University

Eligibility Criteria

This trial is for native English speakers who have chronic aphasia, specifically difficulty retrieving words (anomia), due to a single left-hemisphere stroke that occurred at least six months ago. It's not suitable for those with severe comprehension issues, depression, MRI contraindications like pacemakers or metal implants, claustrophobia, pregnancy, severe speech disorders, widespread brain damage or uncorrected vision/hearing problems.

Inclusion Criteria

I am a native English speaker.

It has been over 6 months since my stroke in the left side of my brain.

I struggle to find the right words when speaking.

Exclusion Criteria

You have a serious difficulty understanding spoken language.

Contraindications for MRI (e.g. cardiac pacemaker, ferrous metal implants, claustrophobia, pregnancy).

You have a serious difficulty speaking clearly.

Timeline

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Cognitive and Genetic Assessment

Participants undergo cognitive and language assessment and provide a saliva sample for genetic analysis

1-2 weeks

1 visit (in-person)

Treatment

Cued picture naming therapy is delivered to all participants

4 weeks

4 visits (in-person)

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for changes in picture-naming scores from post-treatment to follow-up

4 months

2 visits (in-person)

Treatment Details

Interventions

• Cued picture-naming therapy

Trial Overview The study is exploring the effectiveness of cued picture-naming therapy in treating word-retrieval difficulties in people with aphasia. It aims to determine if two specific genes and cognitive abilities such as memory can predict how well someone will respond to this treatment.

Participant Groups

Group I: Single Arm Treatment Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Cued picture naming therapy will be delivered to all participants. There will be four cohorts of participants based on BDNF and ApoE genotypes.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Ohio State University

Lead Sponsor

Trials

891

Recruited

2,659,000+

Nationwide Children's Hospital

Collaborator

Trials

354

Recruited

5,228,000+

Findings from Research

The study explored how different auditory and visual cues can help nonfluent aphasic patients improve their picture naming abilities, focusing on both single and multiple cueing techniques.

Results suggest that using a combination of cues, such as printed words and initial syllables, may enhance the effectiveness of therapy for patients with Broca's aphasia, indicating a promising direction for clinical practice.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The effects of single versus combined cue presentations on picture naming by aphasic adults. Weidner, WE., Jinks, AF.[2019]

In a study involving 10 individuals with aphasia, phonological cues were found to be more effective than semantic cues for improving picture naming accuracy, particularly for items with low visual complexity.

The results suggest that phonological cues aid in the initial categorization of pictures rather than directly mapping to phonological processes, which has important implications for developing more effective rehabilitation therapies for naming impairments.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

What Does a Cue Do? Comparing Phonological and Semantic Cues for Picture Naming in Aphasia. Meteyard, L., Bose, A.[2019]

In a study involving three chronic aphasia speakers, Phonological Cueing Treatment (PCT) and Semantic Cueing Treatment (SCT) were tested for their effectiveness in improving action naming, with positive results for some participants.

Action naming improved for Speaker 1 (who received SCT) and Speaker 3 (who received both treatments), indicating that these cueing treatments can be beneficial for certain individuals with aphasia, though results may vary depending on the type of treatment and the grammatical category of the words.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Effects of two lexical retrieval cueing treatments on action naming in aphasia. Wambaugh, JL., Doyle, PJ., Martinez, AL., et al.[2009]

A preliminary study on treating word finding difficulties in aphasia showed promising results, with three out of four participants improving their word retrieval using phonological and orthographic cues.

The treatment involved two phases: initial cued word retrieval during picture naming tasks, followed by applying these words in real-life contexts, suggesting potential for long-term improvement in communication skills.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Phonological and orthographic approaches to the treatment of word retrieval in aphasia. Herbert, R., Best, W., Hickin, J., et al.[2019]

The study introduced two novel cueing techniques, Silent Visuomotor Cues (SVC) and Semantic Auditory Cues (SAC), which significantly improved naming accuracy in ten participants with chronic non-fluent aphasia during a language game intervention.

Both cueing strategies were particularly effective in enhancing word naming during early sessions, suggesting they could be valuable tools for improving communication in individuals with aphasia, even at later stages of recovery.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Multisensory cueing facilitates naming in aphasia. Grechuta, K., Rubio Ballester, B., Espín Munné, R., et al.[2020]

In a study involving 12 adult patients with chronic acquired aphasia, both semantic and phonological treatments led to significant improvements in picture naming abilities after 4 or 8 treatment sessions.

The semantic treatment showed a small but significant advantage over phonological treatment, particularly in generalizing improvements to untreated items, indicating its effectiveness in enhancing word retrieval skills.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Treatment of word retrieval deficits in aphasia. A comparison of two therapy methods. Howard, D., Patterson, K., Franklin, S., et al.[2006]

In a study involving five aphasic subjects, using auditory cues significantly improved picture naming performance, particularly with phonetic cues, open-ended sentences, and a set of three words that included the target word.

Conversely, using semantically related words actually hindered naming performance, suggesting that not all types of cues are beneficial for individuals with aphasia.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Effect of auditory prestimulation on naming in aphasia. Podraza, BL., Darley, FL.[2019]

References

1. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The effects of single versus combined cue presentations on picture naming by aphasic adults. [2019]

2. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

What Does a Cue Do? Comparing Phonological and Semantic Cues for Picture Naming in Aphasia. [2019]

3. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Effects of two lexical retrieval cueing treatments on action naming in aphasia. [2009]

4. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Phonological and orthographic approaches to the treatment of word retrieval in aphasia. [2019]

5. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Multisensory cueing facilitates naming in aphasia. [2020]

6. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Treatment of word retrieval deficits in aphasia. A comparison of two therapy methods. [2006]

7. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Effect of auditory prestimulation on naming in aphasia. [2019]