Speech Entrainment for Aphasia Recovery

Phase 2

Active, not recruiting

Interventions: Behavioral: SET (Speech Entrainment Therapy) 3 weeks
Behavioral: SET (Speech Entrainment Therapy) 4.5 weeks
Behavioral: SET (Speech Entrainment Therapy) 6 weeks
Other: No Therapy 6 Weeks

Brief Summary: After a stroke, many people experience a language impairment called aphasia. One of the most debilitating types of aphasia is non-fluent aphasia. Non-fluent aphasia is defined by significantly reduced speech production, with the speaker producing only a few words or even less. Speech entrainment therapy (SET) is a treatment that has been shown to increase fluency in people with non-fluent aphasia. The study looks to define the best dose of SET that leads to sustained improvements in spontaneous speech production.

Participants who are eligible will undergo baseline language testing, an MRI, and will be randomized into one of 4 treatment groups: SET for 3 weeks, SET for 4.5 weeks, SET for 6 weeks, and no treatment (control group).

Recruitment & Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria

Not provided

Exclusion Criteria

Not provided

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
SET (Speech Entrainment Therapy) 3 weeks	SET (Speech Entrainment Therapy) 3 weeks	-
SET (Speech Entrainment Therapy) 4.5 weeks	SET (Speech Entrainment Therapy) 4.5 weeks	-
SET (Speech Entrainment Therapy) 6 weeks	SET (Speech Entrainment Therapy) 6 weeks	-
No Therapy 6 weeks	No Therapy 6 Weeks	-

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Average Verbs Per Minute (VPM) Change From Baseline	3 months after treatment (or no treatment)	VPM will be assessed through procedural storytelling and narrative storytelling tasks - with four items in each category. The procedural storytelling items are: 1) how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, 2) how to make scrambled eggs, 3) how to brew coffee, and 4) how to wash dishes. The narrative items will be: 1) Cinderella story, 2) Little Red Riding Hood, 3) The Three Little Pigs, and 4) Goldilocks. VPM is averaged between the procedural storytelling and narrative storytelling tasks.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Stroke and Aphasia Quality of Life Scale-39 (SAQOL-39) Change From Baseline	3 months after treatment (or no treatment)	Stroke and Aphasia Quality of Life Scale-39 (SAQOL-39) is a health-related quality of life measure that evaluates a participant's physical, psychosocial, and communication functioning. The final score is a decimal number between 0 and 5 with 5 indicating the best quality of life.
Narrative Verbs Per Minute (VPM)	3 months after treatment (or no treatment)	VPM will be assessed through narrative storytelling tasks - with four different stories. The narrative stories will be: 1) Cinderella story, 2) Little Red Riding Hood, 3) The Three Little Pigs, and 4) Goldilocks.
Procedural Verbs Per Minute (VPM) Change From Baseline	3 months after treatment (or no treatment)	Verbs per minute (VPM) will be assessed through procedural storytelling - with four different stories. The procedural storytelling items are: 1) how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, 2) how to make scrambled eggs, 3) how to brew coffee, and 4) how to wash dishes.

Locations (3): University of South Carolina
🇺🇸
Columbia, South Carolina, United States
University of Utah
🇺🇸
Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
Medical University of South Carolina
🇺🇸
Charleston, South Carolina, United States