Understanding Speech Difficulties in Aphasia After Stroke

Neurocognitive Mechanisms of Sentence Production Impairment in Aphasia

NIH-funded research Univ of Maryland, College Park · NIH-11178568

This research aims to better understand how the brain produces sentences and why this process becomes difficult for people with aphasia after a stroke, hoping to improve future treatments.

Quick facts

Grant typeR01 grant
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionUniv of Maryland, College Park NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (College Park, United States)
Project IDNIH-11178568 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

Many people who have a stroke experience a condition called agrammatic aphasia, which makes it hard to form complete sentences, use correct grammar, and speak at a normal pace. Current approaches to helping with these speech difficulties often focus on just one symptom at a time, leading to limited improvements in daily communication. This project seeks to understand how different brain processes—like word choice, grammar, and muscle movements for speech—work together to create sentences, and how these processes break down in agrammatic aphasia. By exploring the brain's activity over time, we hope to uncover the root causes of these speech challenges. This deeper understanding could lead to more effective and comprehensive therapies for people living with aphasia.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: This research is most relevant to individuals who have experienced a stroke and developed agrammatic aphasia, characterized by difficulties in sentence production and grammar.

Not a fit: Patients with other forms of aphasia not primarily characterized by agrammatism, or those without a history of stroke, may not directly benefit from this specific research.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to new and more effective therapies that significantly improve communication abilities for individuals with post-stroke agrammatic aphasia.

How similar studies have performed: While current interventions for agrammatic aphasia have shown some success, this project proposes a novel, more integrated approach to understanding the underlying brain mechanisms, moving beyond single-symptom focuses.

Where this research is happening

College Park, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.