Aerobic exercise plus targeted speech exercises to improve reading after stroke
Official title: Improving Reading Competence in Aphasia with Combined Aerobic Exercise and Phono-Motor Treatment
Funded at Kessler Foundation, INC. · NIH-11285474 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Short bouts of aerobic exercise done before focused speech-based reading work may help people with post-stroke aphasia read more accurately and regain independence.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Kessler Foundation, INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (East Hanover, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | March 1, 2024 |
| Project end | February 28, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $421,468 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DC021063-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11285474 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with chronic post-stroke aphasia who have persistent reading difficulties and are medically cleared to perform moderate aerobic exercise are ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People who cannot safely perform aerobic exercise due to severe cardiac, respiratory, or mobility limitations, or those without phonological-based reading impairments, may not benefit from this combined approach.
What this research studies
If you join, you would do a supervised bout of aerobic activity (like cycling or walking) immediately before intensive, therapist-guided phonological reading exercises. The team will track your reading skills over time and may measure brain blood flow and oxygenation to see whether exercise boosts the brain's response to therapy. The approach is based on the idea that exercise temporarily increases cerebral blood flow and makes the brain more ready to re-learn sound–letter connections. Sessions are delivered repeatedly over weeks to try to produce lasting improvements in reading.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could produce bigger and more lasting gains in reading ability for people with post-stroke aphasia, improving daily communication and independence.
How similar studies have gone: Early and pilot studies suggest aerobic exercise can increase brain blood flow and may enhance language therapy, but combining exercise specifically with phono-motor reading treatment is a newer approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Kessler Foundation, INC.
East Hanover, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Boukrina, Olga — Kessler Foundation, INC.
- Study coordinator: Boukrina, Olga
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Improving reading skills in stroke survivors with aphasia through exercise and targeted treatment
This study is looking at how doing aerobic exercise along with a special reading program can help stroke survivors with aphasia improve their reading skills, making it easier for them to get back to their daily activities.
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Communication Bridge: Improving language therapy for people with primary progressive aphasia
A proven language-therapy program called Communication Bridge helps people with primary progressive aphasia improve and maintain how they communicate with others.
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Neural signals linked to recovery from aphasia after stroke
This grant follows people who recently had a stroke and aphasia to understand why some recover language abilities better than others.
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Aerobic exercise to boost stroke rehabilitation outcomes with a VR game
A VA-based study tests whether an aerobic workout before a hand-rehabilitation game can improve recovery after stroke for veterans.
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Bilingualism and language resilience in Hispanic people with primary progressive aphasia
Researchers compare different bilingual experiences to see how they relate to language decline and thinking skills in Hispanic adults with primary progressive aphasia.
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Functional reorganization of language and general brain networks in aphasia
This project studies how language areas and general brain networks work together to help people recover language after a stroke, by looking at brain activity and responses to language tasks.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.