High-intensity exercise to improve language after stroke
Official title: Exercising language: Behavioral and neurophysiological changes after high-intensity exercise training in post-stroke aphasia
Funded at University of California Berkeley · NIH-11332836 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at whether a tailored high-intensity exercise program can help people with aphasia after stroke improve their speaking, thinking, and well-being.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California Berkeley NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Berkeley, United States) |
| Project start | May 15, 2025 |
| Project end | April 30, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $630,360 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DC022663-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11332836 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults who have aphasia after a stroke, are medically cleared for high-intensity exercise, and can commit to scheduled in-person sessions are ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People who cannot safely perform high-intensity exercise due to serious medical or mobility limits, or whose language problems are not stroke-related, may not benefit from this program.
What this research studies
You would join a program that pairs safe, stroke- and aphasia-friendly high-intensity physical exercise with standard language therapy. The team will enroll about 110 people with post-stroke aphasia and measure language, cognitive skills, motor function, mood, fitness, and brain blood-flow using advanced imaging. The exercise protocol was designed for people with motor and language deficits and has shown safety and feasibility in this population. Study visits will include supervised workouts, therapy sessions, fitness testing, and noninvasive brain imaging to track changes over time.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could boost language recovery and improve physical fitness, cognition, and emotional well-being for people with post-stroke aphasia.
How similar studies have gone: Previous small and feasibility studies suggest aerobic exercise can help cognition and mood after stroke, but applying high-intensity exercise specifically to improve language with vascular imaging is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
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University of California Berkeley
Berkeley, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Ivanova, Maria V. — University of California Berkeley
- Study coordinator: Ivanova, Maria V.
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Effects of high-intensity exercise on language recovery after stroke
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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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Computational modeling of language in bilingual adults after stroke and with neurodegenerative conditions
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Restoring speech with a brain implant for stroke-related aphasia
A study at UC Davis aims to help people who have language trouble after a stroke by using a tiny brain implant to turn brain signals into spoken words.
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Predicting language recovery after stroke using AI
A new AI-based project uses brain scans and personal data to forecast how aphasia may progress after a stroke, with the goal of guiding personalized treatment.
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Neural signals of getting speech back after stroke
This grant studies how the brain changes as people recover speech after a stroke, to help predict and improve language recovery.
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.