Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (tACS) in Aphasia

Stroke Clinical Trial

Official title: Exogenous Tuning of Neural Oscillations as a Mode of Treatment in Post-stroke Aphasia

Status Recruiting

Clinical Trial Summary

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

Clinical Trial 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 (NIH-NIDCD, 2015). 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 by providing brain stimulation concurrent with therapies. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is one of the most widely used such technique. While tDCS has had relative success in chronic aphasia (>6 months after stroke), it has not been efficacious during subacute stages (<3 months after stroke). But enhancing language recovery early after stroke is desirable because of its potential impact on long-term language outcomes and quality-of-life.

The current study will investigate the efficacy of high-definition tACS (HD-tACS) to help restore neural oscillatory activity in aphasia. TACS differs from tDCS in that sinusoidal, alternating currents are delivered rather than constant currents. TACS can manipulate the ongoing oscillatory neuronal activity and potentially increase functional synchronization (or connectivity) between targeted areas. This feature of tACS is quite attractive, given the new body of evidence suggesting that language impairments stem from diminished functional connectivity and disruptions in the language network due to stroke. The selection of tACS frequencies in this study is guided by our preliminary work examining pathological neural oscillations found near stroke-lesioned areas (or perilesional) in aphasia. By exogenously tuning the perilesional oscillations with tACS, the investigators hope to up-regulate communication across these areas and other connected areas to improve language outcome. If successful, tACS will be a powerful and novel treatment approach with reverberating positive impact on long-term recovery.

The study will employ HD-tACS in a within-subject and sham-controlled design, using two frequencies (alpha/10 Hz and low-gamma/40 Hz) combined with language tasks and electroencephalography (EEG) to evaluate subsequent behavioral and neurophysiological changes. Investigators plan to recruit 50 participants: 25 stroke survivors with aphasia at lease 1 month after stroke, and 25 healthy controls.

Participants will complete language testing that covers a broad range of language functions, medical history, and MRI. Eligible participants will undergo active tACS at 10 Hz or 40 Hz, or sham-tACS. All participants will receive all three stimulation types during separate visits. The tACS administrator and participants will be blinded to the stimulation type. The order of stimulation type will be counterbalanced across participants. Washout period between visits will be at least 48 hours to minimize potential carryover effects. EEG will be acquired before and after tACS during periods of rest (resting-state) and during language tasks. Participants will complete a questionnaire at the end of stimulation visits to assess potential side effects of tACS. Total time enrolled in the study is expected to be 2-3 weeks, which may be longer depending on participant's availability. ;

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Aphasia
• Stroke

• NCT number: NCT04375722
• Study type: Interventional
• Source: Medical College of Wisconsin
• Contact: Samantha Drane, MS
• Phone: 414-955-5891
• Email: sdrane@mcw.edu
• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: January 4, 2020
• Completion date: January 2025