Clinical trial NCT05512884: Speeded Anomia Treatment in Chronic Post-stroke Aphasia
Official title: Testing the Effect of Speeded Anomia Therapy in Patients With Chronic Post-stroke Aphasia: a Cross-over Randomized Controlled Trial
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: UNKNOWN
Phase: NA
Conditions: Aphasia
Keywords: Anomia
Speech Disorders
Language Disorders
Communication Disorders
Lead sponsor: University of Cambridge
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
First posted: 2022-08-23
Enrollment: 100
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: CROSSOVER
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: The main aim of the study is to investigate the effect of a novel, speeded anomia therapy (Conroy et al., 2018) in a large population of patients with chronic post-stroke aphasia. The treatment will be delivered via a web application (QuickWord).

Detailed description: The main aim is to test the clinical efficacy of a novel, web based, rehabilitation approach to aphasic word-finding difficulties (QuickWord). In an initial development and case-series evaluation, Conroy et al (2018, Brain) found that training for both speed as well as accuracy of naming generated much better outcomes to picture naming accuracy and also augmented the carry-over to connected speech production.

This is a randomised, crossover, clinical trial of QuickWord in a group of aphasic patients in the chronic post-stroke period. The comparison will be standard care. The main outcome measures are clinically relevant improvement in naming to confrontation, and spontaneous use of the target vocabulary in a connected speech sample (detailed picture description). Secondary outcome includes measured use of the vocabulary in a story-telling, connected speech assessment (retelling of the Cinderella story).

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Native English speakers
* Age 18 years or above
* Stroke (any type) greater than 12 months post onset
* No history of neurological disorders / psychiatric disorders
* Normal or corrected-to-normal hearing \& vision
* Able to give informed consent
* Currently not receiving Speech \& Language therapy
* Minimal repetition skills (\>40% on an immediate word repetition test)
* Evidence of naming difficulties (\<90% in Boston Naming Test - Goodglass et al., 1983)

Exclusion Criteria:

* Non-native English speakers
* Less than 18 years old
* Stroke less than 12 months post onset
* History of neurological disorders / psychiatric disorders
* Uncorrected hearing \& vision
* Unable to give informed consent
* Currently receiving Speech \& Language therapy
* Insufficient repetition skills (\<40% on an immediate word repetition test)
* Good naming performance (\>90% in Boston Naming Test - Goodglass et al., 1983)

Primary outcomes:
measure: Speeded anomia therapy effect in reaction time
timeFrame: Measured over 10 weeks (Week 0, Week 2, Week 4, Week 6, Week 10)
measure: Speeded anomia therapy effect in accuracy
timeFrame: Measured over 10 weeks (Week 0, Week 2, Week 4, Week 6, Week 10)
measure: Generalisation to connected speech
timeFrame: Measured over 10 weeks (Week 0, Week 2, Week 4, Week 6, Week 10)
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Generalisation to story-telling connected speech
timeFrame: Measured over 10 weeks (Week 0, Week 2, Week 4, Week 6, Week 10)
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Cambridge
country: United Kingdom
facility: MRC Cognition & Brain Sciences Unit
Study officials:
affiliation: MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge
name: Matthew Lambon Ralph, DPhil
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Conroy P, Sotiropoulou Drosopoulou C, Humphreys GF, Halai AD, Lambon Ralph MA. Time for a quick word? The striking benefits of training speed and accuracy of word retrieval in post-stroke aphasia. Brain. 2018 Jun 1;141(6):1815-1827. doi: 10.1093/brain/awy087.