Sentence Production Training in Aphasia

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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This study focuses on developing a novel treatment for sentence production and comprehension in aphasia, using implicit priming. First set of experiments will aim examine which priming conditions are most effective in creating maximal learning effects. Then, in a later experiment, the investigators will develop and test the efficacy of a novel treatment study based on findings from the first set of the experiments.

Detailed Description
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Over five years, the investigators will conduct a series of studies to develop a novel intervention strategy for improving sentence production and comprehension in persons with aphasia. Specifically, the investigators will use implicit priming as a novel facilitator for language recovery in aphasia. The planned studies seek to test the hypothesis that implicit priming alters the central language system in PWA, creating lasting and generalized improvements in both sentence production and comprehension. Aim 1 will determine the extent to which different manipulations of priming conditions modulate immediate and long-term improvement in sentence production. The investigators integrate multiple theories of language learning and apply them to make predictions about the trajectory of priming-induced learning in PWA. In Aim 2, using a set of eyetracking sentence comprehension tasks, it will be investigated whether the effects of priming in production generalize to off-line (accuracy) and on-line (eye fixations) sentence comprehension and determine what learning conditions result in greater cross-modality generalization. In Aim 3, the investigators will develop and establish Phase I efficacy data of an implicit priming treatment, incorporating the crucial learning conditions supporting maximal retention from Aims 1 and 2. The project will recruit both individuals with aphasia and without aphasia.

Official Title
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Structural Priming as a Treatment Component in Aphasia

Conditions
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Aphasia

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Sentence training


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Individuals with post-stroke aphasia At least 6 months post-onset of eft hemisphere stroke Native speaker of English Normal or corrected to normal hearing and vision High-school educated Difficulty communicating in sentences, with some ability to use words independently Exclusion Criteria: Severe apraxia of speech Other neurological conditions affecting communication (e.g., dementia) Uncontrolled psychiatric/psychological conditions affecting thinking and communication Active alcohol/substance abuse

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 21 Years
Maximum Age: 85 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Treatment
Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Structural priming training<br>Participants will be enrolled in 3 sessions of structural priming training (for experiment 1-3) or up to 15 treatment sessions (for experiment 4). Each session will be about 2 hour long, consisting of a set of tasks, including repeating, making, and remembering various types of sentences. In experiment 1-3, each participant will receive two different experimental priming conditions that are being compared within each session. In experiment 4, participants will receive a structural priming treatment in a single-subject design. | Behavioral: Sentence training<br>* Participants will be trained to read, make, and recall sentences during each session.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Production of target sentences on action description pictures | Production accuracy (percent correct) | From baseline up to 1-week post training or 2-month post treatment | 
| Comprehension of target sentences in a sentence-to-picture matching task | Comprehension accuracy (percent correct) | From baseline up to 1-week post training or 2-month post treatment | 
| Real-time comprehension of target sentences in a sentence-to-picture matching task | Changes in eye fixations to the target picture | From baseline up to 1-week post training or 2-month post treatment | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Production of untrained sentences on action describing pictures | Production accuracy (percent correct) | From baseline up to 2-month post treatment | 
| Connected speech production - story retell | Increased production of complex utterances as measured by proportion of sentence-level utterances out of all utterances | From baseline up to 2-month post treatment | 
| Connected speech production - picture description | Increased production of complex utterances as measured by proportion of sentence-level utterances out of all utterances | From baseline up to 2-month post treatment | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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aphasia training, aphasia treatment