View clinical trials related to Primary Progressive Aphasia.
Filter by:The purpose of this study is to assess the effects of non-invasive brain stimulation on memory and language ability in patients with two phenotypic variations of underlying Alzheimer disease pathology: amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and logopenic variant of primary progressive aphasia (lvPPA). This study will use repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) to stimulate nodes of networks that are thought to be affected in these two conditions. Specifically, a node of the Default Mode Network (DMN)-the angular gyrus (AG)-will be stimulated in aMCI patients; and a node of the language network-the posterior inferior frontal gyrus (pIFG) will be stimulated in patients with lvPPA. We will use functional connectivity MRI (fcMRI) to assess changes in functional network architecture following the stimulation. We will also assess putative cognitive improvements resulting from the stimulation by in-depth language testing in lvPPA patients and in-depth memory testing in aMCI patients.
People with Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA) are is a debilitating disorder characterized by the gradual loss of language functioning, even though cognitive functioning is relatively well preserved until the advanced stages of the disease. There are very few evidence-based treatment options available. This study investigates the behavioral and neural effects of multiple consecutive tDCS sessions paired with language therapy targeting verbs in sentences with individuals with PPA.
Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is a clinical syndrome characterized by the neurodegeneration of language brain systems. Three main clinical variants are currently recorgnized (nonfluent, semantic, and logopenic PPA). Nowadays, there are no effective treatments for this disorder. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is a technique based on the principle of electromagnetic induction of an electric field in the brain. It has been used as a non-invasive therapy in different disorders, such as depression, bipolar disorder, Parkinson's disease, and in the rehabilitation of post-stroke aphasia. Recent studies have shown how repetitive TMS improved language characteristics in Alzheimer's disease, and there are initial data in patients with PPA. This research project investigates the effect of repetitive TMS in patients with PPA. Investigators will perform a personalized TMS treatment for each patient (brain region, type of stimulation/inhibition, etc.), according to the specific characteristics of each patient and with the final aim to generate a computational model.
This study will use a randomized controlled trial design to evaluate the effect of two evidence-based treatments for adults with mild Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA). The aim of the study is to help us better understand the effects of speech language therapy on communication abilities in individuals with PPA. Participants with a diagnosis of PPA and their actively-engaged care partners will be involved in the study for 12 months. Each participant will receive a laptop equipped with the necessary applications and features for the study. Participants will receive 5 evaluations and 15 speech therapy sessions with a licensed speech therapist, as well as access to Communication Bridge, a personalized web application to practice home exercises that reinforce treatment strategies. There are no costs to participate in this study.
This is a two-center (University of Colorado, University of California San Francisco) community-based comparative effectiveness study of outpatient palliative care for Parkinson's disease (PD) and related disorders (progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), corticobasal degeneration (CBD), multiple systems atrophy (MSA), Lewy Body Dementia (LBD). In September 2018, the study was amended to also include Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related disorders (Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD), Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA), Vascular Dementia). It will utilize a randomized stepped-wedge design to compare patient and caregiver outcomes between usual care in the community versus usual care augmented by palliative training and telemedicine support to provide other resources (e.g. social work).
In the present sham-controlled study, the investigators examine whether tDCS could be used to enhance language abilities (e.g., picture naming) in individuals with primary progressive aphasia (PPA) primarily characterized by difficulties with speech production.
Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is a neurodegenerative disease that affects first and foremost language abilities. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is slowly progressive decline in a single domain of cognition (e.g. language) not attributable to motor or sensory loss, without impediment of social or occupational function. MCI can be an early sign of neurodegenerative disease, or can be due to normal aging. When language is the prominent affected domain in MCI, the person may later meet criteria for PPA or may progress to the clinical syndrome of Alzheimer's dementia. Spelling, naming, and working memory (e.g. repetition) are among the language abilities affected early in the course of PPA or language-centered MCI, and different variants have distinct deficits in these domains. This research project investigates the behavioral and neuromodulatory effects of high definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) during language therapy in PPA participants over time. Anodal HD-tDCS targeting the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) administered in combination with language therapy is expected to be more beneficial when compared to language therapy alone. It will 1) improve language performance or decrease rate of decline, 2) have better-sustained effects at 2 weeks and 2 months post-treatment, and 3) produce generalization to untrained language items and some other cognitive functions. Resting-state fMRI, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and volumetric data are also collected to investigate changes in functional brain connectivity associated with HD-tDCS in individuals with PPA. A better understanding of the therapeutic and neuromodulatory mechanisms of HD-tDCS as an adjunct to language therapy in PPA may have a significant impact on the development of effective therapies for PPA and MCI, and may offer insight into ways of impeding neurodegeneration that may improve patients' quality of life, as well as extend their ability to work and manage their affairs.
This study will establish factors fundamental to the improvement in communication and quality of life for people with dementia known as primary progressive aphasia (PPA). PPA is a type of dementia in which language declines but other cognitive skills (including memory) are preserved in the first several years after the onset. This makes those in the initial stages of PPA excellent candidates for treatment and creates a window of time (2-7 years) whereby they can lead independent lives with minimal support. However, currently, no communication therapy is available to people with PPA due to the progressive nature of the disorder and lack of awareness of available options for professionals willing to treat it. Participants with PPA in our study will receive two kinds of therapy for the words they cannot recall spontaneously, and will be trained to maintain them through social interaction. The type of training will be based on the most successful interventions the investigators provided to people with PPA in our previous work. The investigators expect that successful re-learning of forgotten words and practicing them in a group setting will facilitate retention of communication skills leading to greater personal independence and increased/maintained quality of life for people with PPA. Our study represents natural combination of two novel approaches for PPA that ultimately will lead to lower demands on the health care system.
This is a study on Internet-based video-practice speech and language therapy for persons with primary progressive aphasia (PPA), behavioral-variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), or related conditions.
The study is designed to determine whether there are clinical features that can be used as biomarkers to predict whether underlying Alzheimer's pathology is the cause of a speech and language based dementia. The primary hypothesis is that the proportion of patients who test positive for beta-amyloid deposition will vary across different speech and language based dementias.