Recruiting

Neuroplasticity Biomarkers

Sponsor:

University of Wisconsin, Madison

Code:

NCT06471127

Conditions

Aphasia

Language

Stroke

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 40 - 70+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

Pseudoword learning paradigm task

Study Details

Brief summary:

Patients with stroke frequently suffer from aphasia, a disorder of expressive and/or receptive language, that can lead to serious health consequences, including social isolation, depression, reduced quality of life, and increased caregiver burden. Aphasia recovery varies greatly between individuals, and likely relies upon the capacity for neuroplasticity, both at a systems level of reorganized brain networks and a molecular level of neuronal repair and plasticity. The proposed work will evaluate genetic and neural network biological markers of neuroplasticity associated with variability in aphasia, with a future goal to improve prognostics and identify therapeutic targets to reduce the long-term burdens of aphasia.

Conditions

Aphasia

Language

Stroke

Study ID

NCT06471127

Start date

Mar 17, 2025

Status verified date

Jul, 2026

Completion date

May 31, 2029

Anticipated

Primary completion date

May 31, 2029

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 40 - 70+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Ages 40-90
2. Right-handed (prior to stroke)
3. Proficient English speakers
4. History of a single ischemic stroke in the middle cerebral artery territory that is lateralized to the left or right (Aim 1) cerebral hemisphere.
5. Presence of aphasia (Aims 2-3)
6. Capacity to understand the nature of the study and provide informed consent
7. Acute or subacute stroke at the time of Aim 1 enrollment; Stroke #12 months old (chronic) at the time of Aims 2-3 enrollment
8. Medically stable

Exclusion Criteria:

1. History of significant medical or neurological disorder (other than stroke)
2. History of significant or poorly controlled psychiatric disorders
3. Current abuse of alcohol or drugs, prescription or otherwise
4. Clinically significant and uncorrected vision or hearing loss
5. Anything other than standard of care stroke treatment such as Plavix, aspirin (81-300 mg daily), beta-blockers, diabetes medications or choles- terol-lowering agents, thrombolytics (e.g., tPA), anticoagulation agents such as Heparin, Warfarin/Coumadin

Study Design

Enrollment

90 participants

Anticipated

Intervention Model

Single group

Primary purpose

Other

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: Experimental word-learning task for aphasia

The word learning task includes 210 trials across 7 learning blocks (30 trials/block). Each trial features two novel objects (target and foil) on the screen, with an audio recording naming one object. Subjects must quickly and accurately identify the named object. Correct responses are rewarded with a happy face, and incorrect ones with a sad face. The target object's position is counter-balanced, and trial order is randomized for each subject. Short pauses occur every 60 trials to reduce fatigue. After 7 learning blocks, feedback is discontinued, and an immediate test block assesses word-referent recognition. A week later, a second test block, with the same instructions, measures retained learning. Each test block consists of 30 randomized trials without feedback.

Interventions

Pseudoword learning paradigm task

Pseudoword learning is an experimental learning task by which participants view two novel objects (a target and a foil) and simultaneously hear an audio recording of the pseudoword name of one of the two objects. Participants must choose (via mouse click) which object corresponds to the word presented, immediately after which feedback is provided.

Primary outcome measure

  • Aphasia presence/severity [ Time Frame: 3 months, 6 months, 1 year post-stroke ]
  • Semantic processing [ Time Frame: At least 1 year post-stroke ]
  • Phonological processing [ Time Frame: At least 1 year post-stroke ]
  • Noun processing [ Time Frame: At least 1 year post-stroke ]
  • Verb processing [ Time Frame: At least 1 year post-stroke ]
  • Pseudoword learning [ Time Frame: At least 1 year post-stroke ]
  • Verbal learning [ Time Frame: At least 1 year post-stroke ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Haley Dresang, PhD

(608) 890-0628hdresang@wisc.edu

Locations

UW School of Medicine and Public Health

Recruiting

Madison, Wisconsin, United States, 53792

More Information

Sponsor

University of Wisconsin, Madison

Last update posted

Jul 7, 2026

Last verified

Jul, 2026

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-10. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by University of Wisconsin, Madison on 2026-07-07.