Recruiting

RS-tDCS

Sponsor:

Maya Henry

Code:

NCT07260253

Conditions

Primary Progressive Aphasia(PPA)

Progressive Aphasia

Progressive Aphasia in Alzheimer's Disease

Logopenic Progressive Aphasia (LPA)

Logopenic Variant Primary Progressive Aphasia

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 40+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

Lexical Retrieval Cascade Treatment

Remotely Supervised Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation- Active

Remotely Supervised Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation - Sham

Study Details

Brief summary:

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether home-based brain stimulation combined with virtual speech-language therapy can improve communication abilities in adults with logopenic variant primary progressive aphasia (lvPPA), a language disorder most often caused by Alzheimer's disease.

The main questions the study aims to answer are:

  • Is combining remotely supervised transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) with virtual speech-language therapy feasible and acceptable for people with lvPPA?
  • Does this combined treatment lead to improvements in communication compared to speech-language therapy with sham (placebo) stimulation?
  • Do individual brain characteristics help predict who benefits most from this treatment?

Researchers will compare participants who receive active tDCS plus virtual speech-language therapy to participants who receive sham (placebo) tDCS plus virtual speech-language therapy to see if active brain stimulation enhances communication outcomes.

Participants will:

  • Complete speech-language therapy sessions delivered by video visit.
  • Receive either active or sham tDCS that is remotely supervised and completed at home.
  • Complete language and cognitive testing before and after treatment.
  • Undergo brain imaging and other assessments to help understand treatment response.

Conditions

Primary Progressive Aphasia(PPA)

Progressive Aphasia

Progressive Aphasia in Alzheimer's Disease

Logopenic Progressive Aphasia (LPA)

Logopenic Variant Primary Progressive Aphasia

Study ID

NCT07260253

Start date

Apr 15, 2026

Status verified date

Apr, 2026

Completion date

Apr 30, 2030

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Apr 1, 2030

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 40+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Meets diagnostic criteria for primary progressive aphasia (PPA)
  • Meets diagnostic criteria for logopenic variant PPA
  • Attains score of 15 or higher on the Mini-Mental State Examination
  • Has adequate hearing and vision (with hearing or vision aids, if needed)
  • Is able to travel to research site and undergo MRI brain scan
  • Has access to high speed internet and basic experience using a computer and the internet
  • Is a fluent speaker of English
  • Has a study partner who can co-enroll in the study, attend pre-treatment training at the research site, and be present for teleconference meetings, as needed

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Speech and language deficits better accounted for by another neurological disorder
  • Does not meet diagnostic criteria for logopenic variant PPA
  • Scores less than 15 on the Mini-Mental State Examination
  • Does not have a study partner who can co-enroll in the study
  • Has contraindications for tDCS or MRI scan (History of seizures, head injury, craniotomy, skull surgery or fracture; History of severe or frequent migraines; Metallic implant in head or any metal in head; Pacemaker or cardioverter-defibrillator or any other stimulator; Chronic skin problems; Pregnancy)
  • Has a history of stroke, epilepsy, or significant brain injury

Study Design

Enrollment

80 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Parallel Assignment

Primary purpose

Treatment

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: Language Therapy with Active Stimulation

Participants will receive virtual language therapy in conjunction with active remotely-supervised transcranial direct current stimulation.

sham comparator: Language Therapy with Sham Stimulation

Participants will receive virtual language therapy in conjunction with sham remotely-supervised transcranial direct current stimulation.

Interventions

Lexical Retrieval Cascade Treatment

Participants work on producing spoken and written names of personally-relevant target items. Treatment focuses on the use of strategies that capitalize on spared cognitive-linguistic abilities to support word retrieval. The participant completes two (one hour each) teletherapy sessions per week with a clinician plus 30 minutes of additional independent, computer-based practice exercises 3 times per week.

Remotely Supervised Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation- Active

tDCS is a type of non-invasive brain stimulation. 2.0 milliamp (mA) of current will be delivered via electrodes in saline-soaked sponges placed on the left and right sides of the head. The stimulation will last 20 minutes and will occur 5 times weekly, in the participant's home setting, while the participant engages in computer-delivered speech-language training. Sessions are monitored by study personnel.

Remotely Supervised Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation - Sham

tDCS is a type of non-invasive brain stimulation. 2.0 milliamp (mA) of current will be delivered via electrodes in saline-soaked sponges placed on the left and right sides of the head. In sham stimulation, current will be delivered for a brief period of time and then turned off. Sham stimulation will last 20 minutes and will occur 5 times weekly, in the participant's home setting, while the participant engages in computer-delivered speech-language training. Sessions are monitored by study personnel.

Primary outcome measure

  • Change in spoken naming [ Time Frame: change from pre-treatment to one month and three months after onset of treatment in each phase (stimulation and sham) ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Aphasia Lab Research Coordinator

512-471-3420aphasialab@austin.utexas.edu

Locations

UCSF Memory and Aging Cener

Recruiting

San Francisco, California, United States, 94158

Contacts

Willa Keegan-Rodewald, M.A.

willa.keeganrodewald@ucsf.edu

Principal Investigator:

Maria Luisa Gorno-Tempini, MD, PhD

University of Texas

Recruiting

Austin, Texas, United States, 78712

Contacts

Aphasia Lab Research Coordinator, MS

512-471-3420aphasialab@austin.utexas.edu

Principal Investigator:

Maya L Henry, PhD

More Information

Sponsor

Maya Henry

Last update posted

Sep 4, 2026

Last verified

Apr, 2026

Keywords

  • lvPPA
  • PPA
  • logopenic variant PPA
  • transcranial direct-current stimulation
  • tDCS
  • neuromodulation
  • speech therapy
  • speech-language pathology
  • logopenic
  • teletherapy
  • remote
  • virtual

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-09. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by Maya Henry on 2026-09-04.