Communication Bridge: improving communication for people with primary progressive aphasia
Official title: Communication Bridge: Optimizing an evidence-based intervention for individuals with primary progressive aphasia
Funded at University of Chicago · NIH-11174374 · Data updated 2026-11-12
We are trying a speech and caregiver-focused program delivered by telepractice to help people living with primary progressive aphasia communicate better in everyday life.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Chicago NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chicago, United States) |
| Project start | September 15, 2017 |
| Project end | August 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $2,211,067 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AG055425-09 |
| Project ID | NIH-11174374 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia, including cases related to Alzheimer's disease or frontotemporal degeneration, are the primary candidates for this work.
✕Less likely to help
People without PPA or those with very advanced dementia and minimal ability to participate in communication-focused therapy are unlikely to benefit.
What this research studies
This project refines the Communication Bridge speech-language and psychosocial program for people with primary progressive aphasia and their care partners. The team delivers the intervention remotely via telepractice and uses randomized trial methods to compare outcomes and optimize treatment stages. The program is individualized, focusing on real-world communication, social participation, and strategies for caregivers. The aim is to make benefits durable and ready for broader clinical use.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could improve everyday communication, social participation, and quality of life for people with PPA and reduce caregiver burden.
How similar studies have gone: Earlier Communication Bridge trials (CB1 and CB2) demonstrated that telepractice delivery is feasible and produced maintained functional communication gains, so this builds on promising prior results.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Chicago
Chicago, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Rogalski, Emily J — University of Chicago
- Study coordinator: Rogalski, Emily J
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Communication Bridge helps people with primary progressive aphasia talk more clearly
Aimed at people with primary progressive aphasia, this project tests a speech-language and psychosocial program delivered by telepractice to improve daily communication and quality of life.
-
Transcranial current therapy for language in progressive aphasia
A world-class team is testing a painless brain-stimulation method to help people with primary progressive aphasia say more words and names.
-
Improving communication support for people with primary progressive aphasia
This project improves and delivers an evidence-based speech and communication program to help people with primary progressive aphasia and their care partners, including through telehealth.
-
Primary Progressive Aphasia: How speech and language decline happens and progresses
This grant studies a brain disease called primary progressive aphasia to understand why speech and language slip up over time.
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.