Right-cerebellum stimulation to help recovery from aphasia
Cerebellar stimulation for Aphasia Rehabilitation
This project pairs gentle electrical brain stimulation to the right cerebellum with speech therapy to help people with post-stroke aphasia name words and communicate better.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Johns Hopkins University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baltimore, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11162527 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you join, you'll receive speech and language therapy plus either gentle transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to the right cerebellum or a sham (placebo) version. You would be randomly assigned and neither you nor the therapists will know which you receive (double-blind) across 15 treatment sessions. The team will measure changes in naming, other language tests, and everyday communication before and after the treatment course. Researchers target the right cerebellum because it connects with left-side language areas and may help recovery when left-brain strokes interfere with direct stimulation.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults with aphasia following a stroke who have word-finding or naming problems and can attend repeated in-person therapy sessions are the best candidates.
Not a fit: People without stroke-related aphasia, those with unstable medical conditions, implanted electronic devices, active seizures, or inability to attend in-person visits are unlikely to benefit from this intervention.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could improve naming and everyday speech for people with post-stroke aphasia, making daily communication easier.
How similar studies have performed: Smaller studies and the investigator's prior work indicate cerebellar tDCS is safe and can improve language, but larger randomized, controlled trials remain limited.
Where this research is happening
Baltimore, United States
- Johns Hopkins University — Baltimore, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Sebastian, Rajani — Johns Hopkins University
- Study coordinator: Sebastian, Rajani
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 below.