Using electrical stimulation to improve language function in patients with logopenic variant PPA

Is this trial a fit for you?

A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.

What this trial studies

This clinical trial investigates the effects of high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) on patients diagnosed with logopenic variant Primary Progressive Aphasia (lvPPA). The study aims to enhance language therapy outcomes by stimulating specific brain regions associated with verbal short-term memory and executive control. Participants will undergo a randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled crossover design to assess the efficacy of tDCS combined with a language treatment called 'Repeat After Me' (RAM). The trial will also explore the underlying mechanisms of tDCS and identify predictors of its effectiveness in improving language function.

Why it matters

Who can join: the full rules

Inclusion Criteria:

* Must be between 50-80 years of age.
* Must be right-handed.
* Must be proficient in English.
* Must have a minimum of high-school education.
* Must be diagnosed with Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA) or dementia.
* Participants will be diagnosed with PPA or with any of the PPA variants in specialized or early dementias clinics at Johns Hopkins University or other specialized centers in the US based on the current consensus criteria.
* Healthy age- and education-matched controls: The investigators will include 30 healthy age- and education-matched controls, usually spouses, to maximize similarity in terms of other demographic or life-style factors that contribute to language and cognitive performance.

Exclusion Criteria:

* People with previous neurological disease including vascular dementia (e.g., stroke, developmental dyslexia, dysgraphia or attentional deficit).
* People with uncorrected hearing loss
* People with uncorrected visual acuity loss.
* People with advanced dementia or severe language impairments: Mini Mental State -Examination (MMSE)\<18, or Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA)\<15, or language Frontotemporal Dementia specific - Clinical Dementia Rating (FTD-CDR)\<=2.
* Left handed individuals.
* People with pre-existing psychiatric disorders such as behavioral disturbances, severe depression, or schizophrenia that do not allow these people to comply or follow the study schedule and requirements such as repeated evaluation and therapy.

Exclusion Criteria for MRI Participation:

* People with severe claustrophobia.
* People with cardiac pacemakers or ferromagnetic implants.
* Pregnant women.

Where it's running

• Johns Hopkins Hospital
  Baltimore, Maryland, United States Recruiting

Study contacts

• Principal investigator: Kyrana Tsapkini, PhD — Johns Hopkins University
• Study coordinator: Cesia Diaz
• Email: cesiad@jhmi.edu
• Phone: (410) 417 - 8230

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How to take part

1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
2. Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
3. Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.