Remotely-supervised Neuromodulation in PPA

Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether home-based brain stimulation combined with virtual speech-language therapy can improve communication abilities in adults with logopenic variant primary progressive aphasia (lvPPA), a language disorder most often caused by Alzheimer's disease.

The main questions the study aims to answer are:

* Is combining remotely supervised transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) with virtual speech-language therapy feasible and acceptable for people with lvPPA?
* Does this combined treatment lead to improvements in communication compared to speech-language therapy with sham (placebo) stimulation?
* Do individual brain characteristics help predict who benefits most from this treatment?

Researchers will compare participants who receive active tDCS plus virtual speech-language therapy to participants who receive sham (placebo) tDCS plus virtual speech-language therapy to see if active brain stimulation enhances communication outcomes.

Participants will:

* Complete speech-language therapy sessions delivered by video visit.
* Receive either active or sham tDCS that is remotely supervised and completed at home.
* Complete language and cognitive testing before and after treatment.
* Undergo brain imaging and other assessments to help understand treatment response.

Conditions

• Primary Progressive Aphasia(PPA)
• Progressive Aphasia
• Progressive Aphasia in Alzheimer's Disease
• Logopenic Progressive Aphasia (LPA)
• Logopenic Variant Primary Progressive Aphasia
• Logopenic Variant of Primary Progressive Aphasia (LPA)

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Lexical Retrieval Cascade Treatment

Participants work on producing spoken and written names of personally-relevant target items. Treatment focuses on the use of strategies that capitalize on spared cognitive-linguistic abilities to support word retrieval. The participant completes two (one hour each) teletherapy sessions per week with a clinician plus 30 minutes of additional independent, computer-based practice exercises 3 times per week.

DEVICE

Remotely Supervised Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation- Active

tDCS is a type of non-invasive brain stimulation. 2.0 milliamp (mA) of current will be delivered via electrodes in saline-soaked sponges placed on the left and right sides of the head. The stimulation will last 20 minutes and will occur 5 times weekly, in the participant's home setting, while the participant engages in computer-delivered speech-language training. Sessions are monitored by study personnel.

DEVICE

Remotely Supervised Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation - Sham

tDCS is a type of non-invasive brain stimulation. 2.0 milliamp (mA) of current will be delivered via electrodes in saline-soaked sponges placed on the left and right sides of the head. In sham stimulation, current will be delivered for a brief period of time and then turned off. Sham stimulation will last 20 minutes and will occur 5 times weekly, in the participant's home setting, while the participant engages in computer-delivered speech-language training. Sessions are monitored by study personnel.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Institute on Aging (NIA)

  collaborator NIH

• Maya Henry

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Maya L Henry, PhD · University of Texas at Austin

• Jessica D Richardson, PhD · University of New Mexico

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

TRIPLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

40 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2026-04-15

Primary Completion

2029-05-31

Completion

2029-08-31

Countries

• United States

Study Locations