Dysarthria, Stroke
Conditions
Brief summary
The proposed study aims to determine if transcranial direct current stimulation can enhance the effect of speech therapy in post-stroke patients with dysarthria.
Detailed description
A total of 60 Cantonese-speaking post-stroke patients who are suffering from dysarthria will be recruited and randomly divided into real tDCS and sham groups. All the participants will receive individualized speech therapy based on the results of their speech assessment. For the real tDCS group, an anodal high-definition tDCS of 2 milliamperes (mA) lasting for 20 minutes will be delivered to the orofacial area of the primary motor cortex (SM1) during speech therapy. For the sham tDCS group, stimulation given during speech therapy will only last for 30 seconds in order to cause a similar sensation on the scalp as the real stimulation group. There will be a total of 10 daily sessions during a 2-week period.
Interventions
DEVICEtDCS active
An anodal high-definition tDCS of 2 mA lasting for 20 minutes will be delivered to the orofacial area of the primary motor cortex (SM1) during speech therapy.
DEVICEtDCS sham
An anodal high-definition tDCS of 2 mA lasting for 30 seconds will be delivered to the orofacial area of the primary motor cortex (SM1) during speech therapy.
Sponsors
The University of Hong Kong
Tuen Mun Hospital
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE (Subject, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 75 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Cantonese-speaking adults who had their first stroke and have suffered dysarthria post-stroke. * Both acute and chronic stroke participants will be recruited.
Exclusion criteria
* Individuals with a personal or family history of epilepsy or seizures; * Individuals with a history of another neurological condition (which is not a result from the initial stroke); * Individuals with a history of speech disorders, voice disorders, oro-maxillo-facial surgery involving the tongue and/or lip, severe cognitive impairment, severe aphasia; * In an unstable or serious medical condition; * Have a cardiac implant metallic foreign body implant and/or any medications that lower neural thresholds (e.g. antidepressants, neuroleptic agents, etc.).
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Perceptual speech assessments | Change Before and After tDCS Stimulation at immediately post-treatment, 1-month and 3-month post treatment | All participants will be required to produce a sustained vowel /a/, repeat some syllables (i.e., /pa/, /ta/, /ka/ and /pataka/), read a standard Chinese paragraph and have a 1-2 mins conversation with the researcher. |
| Communication effectiveness measures | Change Before and After tDCS Stimulation at immediately post-treatment, 1-month and 3-month post treatment | The Modified Communication Effectiveness Index (CETI-M) is a 10-item patient-reported measure of change in functional communication ability. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Kinematic Measurements | Change Before and After tDCS Stimulation at immediately post-treatment, 1-month and 3-month post treatment | The lip and tongue function during speech production will be traced real time and objectively using the 3D-Electromagnetic Articulography (EMA, AG501-system). |
| Acoustic measurements | Change Before and After tDCS Stimulation at immediately post-treatment, 1-month and 3-month post treatment | Acoustic measurements will be obtained from both sustained vowel phonation and connected speech. |
| Quality of Life measurement | Change Before and After tDCS Stimulation at immediately post-treatment, 1-month and 3-month post treatment | The Chinese version of The Quality of Life of the Dysarthric Speaker (QOL-DyS) questionnaire will be used to assess participants' subjective speech related quality of life. |
Countries
Hong Kong
Outcome results
None listed