Brain stimulation added to speech therapy for people with Broca's aphasia
Tests whether gentle brain stimulation plus speech therapy helps language recovery in aphasia.
Plain-language title generated from the registry record
Registry title: Superiority Trial of Aphasia-focused Rehabilitation With tDCS Stimulation
Key facts
- Where
- Charleston, Columbia, and Salt Lake City, United StatesSee the 3 sites
- Phase
- Phase 2/3
Could this be for you?
Answer for yourself. This is not a decision: only the study team can say whether you can take part.
- Are you between 25 and 80 years old?
Source: NCT07688551, who can take part
Where in United States
- Medical University of South CarolinaCharleston, United StatesTaking people
- University of South CarolinaColumbia, United StatesTaking people
- University of UtahSalt Lake City, United StatesTaking people
Questions to ask the study team
- How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
- Are travel costs paid?
- Can I keep my own doctor?
- What happens if I want to stop?
Trial details
- Who runs it
- University of South Carolina
- Trial code
- NCT07688551
- Record updated
- 21 July 2026
- Original description
The purpose of this study is to help us understand if adding transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS), a non-invasive brain stimulation technique, to Speech Therapy improves language recovery in people with Broca's aphasia and is more effective than Speech Therapy alone.Read full original descriptionShow less
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation to Treat Aphasia: A Superiority Study
The purpose of this study is to help us understand if adding transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS), a non-invasive brain stimulation technique, to Speech Therapy improves language recovery in people with Broca's aphasia and is more effective than Speech Therapy alone.
Inclusion: Be willing and able to give informed consent; Be willing and able to comply with study requirements; Be between 25 and 80 years of age; Have used English as the primary language for > 15 years; Have the diagnosis of aphasia due to a left hemisphere stroke, confirmed by study physician based on past clinical MRI scan or research scan; Be greater than 6 months post-stroke; Have Broca's aphasia diagnosed by the WAB-R (fluency score ≤ 5, auditory verbal comprehension score 4-10, repetition score 0-7.9, naming and word finding score < 9); Correctly name 140 or fewer items on the PNT.
Exclusion: Seizures during the previous 12-months; Participants with open skull defects (e.g., greater than 1 cm) in the area underneath the anode electrode positioning or participants with metal implants or electrical stimulators; Participants with continuous oxygen therapy which cannot be discontinued for more than 1 hour; History of brain surgery except for during the treatment of the acute stroke; Compromised skin at or near electrode sites (e.g., rash, eczema, wounds, infection); Any condition or situation that the PI determines would significantly interfere with the participant's ability to complete the study; Correctly name more than 140 out of 175 items during the pre-treatment picture naming test (Philadelphia Naming Test); Western Aphasia Battery-Revised Aphasia Quotient (WAB-R AQ) score of 25 or below.