Sentence Production Training in Aphasia

Structural Priming as a Treatment Component in Aphasia

Status

Recruiting

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT05415501

Enrollment

104

Registered

2022-06-13

Start date

2021-08-01

Completion date

2026-05-30

Last updated

2024-12-18

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Aphasia

Keywords

aphasia training, aphasia treatment, sentences, grammar

Brief summary

This project focuses on developing a novel treatment for sentence production and comprehension in aphasia, using implicit priming. First set of experiments will aim examine which learning conditions are most effective in creating maximal training gains. Then, in a later study, the investigators will develop and test the efficacy of a novel treatment study based on findings from the first set of the studies.

Detailed description

Over five years, the investigators will conduct a series of studies to develop a novel intervention strategy for improving sentence production and comprehension in persons with aphasia. Specifically, the investigators will use implicit learning of grammar as a novel facilitator for language recovery in aphasia. The planned studies seek to test the hypothesis that implicit learning alters the central language system in PWA, creating lasting and generalized improvements in both sentence production and comprehension. Aim 1 will determine the extent to which different learning conditions modulate immediate and long-term improvement in sentence production. The investigators integrate multiple theories of language learning and apply them to make predictions about the trajectory of priming-induced learning in PWA. In Aim 2, using a set of eyetracking and sentence comprehension tasks, it will be investigated whether the effects of priming in production generalize to off-line (accuracy) and on-line (eye fixations) sentence comprehension and determine which learning conditions result in greater cross-modality generalization. In Aim 3, the investigators will develop and establish Phase I efficacy data of an implicit priming treatment, incorporating the crucial learning conditions supporting maximal retention from Aims 1 and 2. The project will recruit both individuals with aphasia and without aphasia.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALSentence training

Participants will be trained to read, make, and recall sentences during each session.

Study design

Allocation

Intervention model

SINGLE_GROUP

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

21 Years to 85 Years

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Individuals with post-stroke aphasia * At least 6 months post-onset of eft hemisphere stroke * Native speaker of English * Normal or corrected to normal hearing and vision * High-school educated * Difficulty communicating in sentences, with some ability to use words independently

Exclusion criteria

* Severe apraxia of speech * Other neurological conditions affecting communication (e.g., dementia) * Uncontrolled psychiatric/psychological conditions affecting thinking and communication * Active alcohol/substance abuse

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Production of target sentences on action description pictures	From baseline up to 1-week post training or 2-month post treatment	Production accuracy (percent correct)
Comprehension of target sentences in a sentence-to-picture matching task	From baseline up to 1-week post training or 2-month post treatment	Comprehension accuracy (percent correct)
Real-time comprehension of target sentences in a sentence-to-picture matching task	From baseline up to 1-week post training or 2-month post treatment	Changes in eye fixations to the target picture

Secondary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Production of untrained sentences	From baseline up to 2-month post treatment	Production accuracy (percent correct)
Connected speech production - story retell	From baseline up to 2-month post treatment	Increased production of complex utterances as measured by proportion of sentence-level utterances out of all utterances
Connected speech production - picture description	From baseline up to 2-month post treatment	Increased production of complex utterances as measured by proportion of sentence-level utterances out of all utterances

Countries

United States

Contacts

Primary ContactJiyeon Lee, PhD

lee1704@purdue.edu7654943810

Backup ContactJiyeon Lee