Rehabilitation and Prophylaxis of Anomia in Primary Progressive Aphasia
1 other identifier
interventional
84
1 country
2
Brief Summary
The goal of this study is to remediate word-finding problems in patients who have Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA) or Alzheimer's Disease and to delay the further progression of word-finding impairment. The current approach is novel in that it contains a prophylaxis component in which the investigators attempt to strengthen neural connections that remain functional, making them more resistant to degradation as the disease progresses. While the study is specific in its targeting of word-finding problems, a successful outcome would bode well for other studies aimed at prevention or reversal of declining cognitive functions in dementia. One set of participants with PPA will receive practice with picture naming in two conditions: viewing the picture and repeating the name; and viewing the picture with its written name, plus reading and writing the name. Another set of participants with PPA or Alzheimer's Disease will be trained in two different conditions: learning about the word's semantic features (meaning); and learning about the word's lexical features (letters and sounds). Naming of pictures trained in each of these conditions will be compared, at three time intervals post-training, with naming of pictures tested before the study but never trained. It is predicted that the pairing of the picture with its written name, combined with the motor task of writing the name, will result in a greater ability to name the picture at a later date than simple practice viewing the picture and repeating the name. Furthermore, it is predicted that participants who have difficulty understanding concepts will be more likely to respond to semantic treatment, while participants who have difficulty connecting words with concepts will be more likely to respond to lexical treatment.
Trial Health
Trial Health Score
Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach
participants targeted
Target at P50-P75 for not_applicable
Started Nov 2011
Longer than P75 for not_applicable
2 active sites
Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.
Trial Relationships
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Study Timeline
Key milestones and dates
Study Start
First participant enrolled
November 1, 2011
CompletedFirst Submitted
Initial submission to the registry
January 28, 2016
CompletedFirst Posted
Study publicly available on registry
February 5, 2016
CompletedPrimary Completion
Last participant's last visit for primary outcome
June 30, 2023
CompletedStudy Completion
Last participant's last visit for all outcomes
June 30, 2024
CompletedSeptember 25, 2024
September 1, 2024
11.7 years
January 28, 2016
September 24, 2024
Conditions
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcomes (1)
Change in picture naming accuracy for words within each treatment condition during treatment
The change in picture naming accuracy for trained words will be compared with the change in picture naming accuracy for words that were tested at baseline but never trained during the treatment phase.
baseline, 7 months
Secondary Outcomes (2)
Change in picture naming accuracy for words within each treatment condition between baseline and first follow-up assessment
baseline, 14 months
Change in picture naming accuracy for words within each treatment condition between baseline and second follow-up assessment
baseline, 21 months
Study Arms (2)
Phonological, Orthographic, Untrained
EXPERIMENTALSemantic, Lexical, Untrained
EXPERIMENTALInterventions
This treatment involves picture viewing and word repetition.
This treatment involves picture viewing, reading, and writing.
This treatment involves learning about the semantic features (meaning) of each trained word.
This treatment involves learning about the lexical features (letters and sounds) of each trained word.
These words are not trained during the treatment phase.
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if:
- Diagnosis of Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA; including Frontotemporal Dementia, Semantic Dementia, or a similar condition) or Diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease
- At least 10 years of education
- Ability to follow spoken instructions
- Medically stable
- First language is English, or fluent in English since childhood
- Willing to participate over a period of two years
You may not qualify if:
- No history of additional neurological problems
- No history of substance abuse or psychiatric problems
Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.
Sponsors & Collaborators
- Georgetown Universitylead
- National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)collaborator
- National Institute on Aging (NIA)collaborator
- Johns Hopkins Universitycollaborator
Study Sites (2)
Georgetown University Medical Center
Washington D.C., District of Columbia, 20057, United States
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, Maryland, 21287, United States
Related Publications (1)
Suh S, Friedman RB, Meyer AM, Snider SF, Sebastian R, Tippett DC. Picture Description and Functional Communication Rating Correlates in Variants of Primary Progressive Aphasia. Aphasiology. 2025 May 28:10.1080/02687038.2025.2510327. doi: 10.1080/02687038.2025.2510327. Online ahead of print.
PMID: 40857539DERIVED
Related Links
MeSH Terms
Conditions
Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)
Study Officials
- PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Aaron Meyer, PhD
Georgetown University
Study Design
- Study Type
- interventional
- Phase
- not applicable
- Allocation
- NON RANDOMIZED
- Masking
- NONE
- Purpose
- TREATMENT
- Intervention Model
- SEQUENTIAL
- Sponsor Type
- OTHER
- Responsible Party
- PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
- PI Title
- Assistant Professor
Study Record Dates
First Submitted
January 28, 2016
First Posted
February 5, 2016
Study Start
November 1, 2011
Primary Completion
June 30, 2023
Study Completion
June 30, 2024
Last Updated
September 25, 2024
Record last verified: 2024-09