taVNS for Speech and Language Recovery in Aphasia

Non-invasive Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Language Recovery in Aphasia

Status

Enrolling by invitation

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT07563387

Enrollment

Registered

2026-05-04

Start date

2026-01-01

Completion date

2028-01-01

Last updated

2026-05-04

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

Conditions

Aphasia, Apraxia of Speech

Keywords

taVNS, vagus nerve stimulation, stroke, traumatic brain injury, language, speech

Brief summary

The goal of this research study is to evaluate a novel approach to improving speech recovery in those with acquired apraxia of speech. We will enroll participants with apraxia of speech resulting from stroke or brain injury to complete several tasks and intervention. Testing will take place four times over the course of the study and intervention will take place 5 days a week for 16 weeks. Overall, you can expect to spend up to 17 weeks participating in this study.

Interventions

DEVICEtaVNS

active vagus nerve stimulation

DEVICEsham taVNS

sham vagus nerve stimulation

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

CROSSOVER

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

DOUBLE (Subject, Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to 80 Years

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

* Adults between 18-80 * Native speakers of English or simultaneous bilinguals * At least 6 months post stroke or TBI * Diagnosed production type aphasia or apraxia of speech

Exclusion criteria

* Additional cognitive or neurological impairments (Autism, schizophrenia, seizures, etc) * Language comprehension deficits * Medications that influence key neurotransmitters

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Adverse events	6 months	Frequency and severity of adverse events will be monitored and evaluated for severity and impact on attrition.
Compliance	6 months	Percentage of the population that remains engaged in the study and completes all stimulation sessions.

Secondary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Change in speech production scores	6 months	Primary outcomes for this aim include the learning trajectory over 8 weeks of speech therapy as measured by weekly probes and the WAB when intervention is combined with taVNS versus control stimulation to determine the effect of taVNS on re-learning motor speech plans and the trajectory of motor speech recovery.

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: May 5, 2026