Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (tACS) for the Recovery of Phonological Short-Term Memory in Patients With Aphasia After Stroke

Last updated: May 8, 2025
Sponsor: Medical College of Wisconsin
Overall Status: Active - Recruiting

Phase

N/A

Condition

Stroke

Speech Disorders

Cerebral Ischemia

Treatment

Sham HD-tACS

HD-tACS

Clinical Study ID

NCT06048159
PRO00046360
PRO00046360
  • Ages > 18
  • All Genders

Study Summary

This study will assess the effects of transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) on language recovery after stroke.

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Diagnosed with left hemisphere stroke/aphasia

  • Consent date >= 1 month after stroke onset

  • Fluent in English

  • 18 years of age or older

Exclusion

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Severe cognitive, auditory or visual impairments that would preclude cognitive andlanguage testing

  • Presence of major untreated or unstable psychiatric disease

  • A chronic medical condition that is not treated or is unstable

  • The presence of cardiac stimulators or pacemakers

  • Contraindications to MRI or tACS, e.g. patients with metallic implants, and/orhistory of skull fractures, pregnancy, skin diseases

  • History of ongoing or unmanaged seizures

  • History of dyslexia or other developmental learning disabilities

Study Design

Total Participants: 120
Treatment Group(s): 2
Primary Treatment: Sham HD-tACS
Phase:
Study Start date:
November 06, 2023
Estimated Completion Date:
January 31, 2033

Study Description

Aphasia is a debilitating disorder, typically resulting from damage to the left hemisphere, that can impair a range of communication abilities, including language production and comprehension, reading, and writing. Approximately 180,000 new cases of aphasia are identified per year, and approximately 1 million or 1 in 250 are living with aphasia in the United States. Treatments are limited and provide modest benefits at best. The current emphasis in aphasia rehabilitation is to formulate intensive speech and language therapies and augment therapeutic benefits, potentially with brain stimulation concurrent with therapies.

The current study will investigate the efficacy of high-definition tACS (HD-tACS) to help restore neural oscillatory activity in stroke survivors with aphasia. TACS differs from trancranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a widely used brain stimulation paradigm, in that sinusoidal or alternating currents are delivered rather than direct currents. TACS is shown to manipulate ongoing oscillatory brain activity and also to modulate synchronization (or connectivity) between targeted brain areas. This feature of tACS is quite attractive, given the new body of evidence suggesting that language impairments stem from diminished brain connectivity and ensuing disruptions in the language network due to stroke.

The study will employ high-definition tACS (HD-tACS) in a parallel, double-blinded, sham-controlled design combined with language therapy targeting phonological short-term memory (STM) function in stroke survivors with aphasia. Magnetoencephalography (MEG) and fMRI BOLD data collection will occur to determine tACS parameters and to evaluate stimulation-induced neural changes, respectively. The investigators plan to recruit 120 stroke survivors with aphasia in a 2-group tACS study design.

Connect with a study center

  • Medical College of Wisconsin

    Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53226
    United States

    Active - Recruiting

Map preview placeholder

Not the study for you?

Let us help you find the best match. Sign up as a volunteer and receive email notifications when clinical trials are posted in the medical category of interest to you.