tACS to Enhance Language Abilities

NCT06092814 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: 854139
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 120
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of this study is to see if transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) can be used to enhance language abilities in people with post-stroke aphasia. Participants will receive real and sham tACS in conjunction with various language tests. Researchers will compare the post-stroke aphasia group with aged matched controls to see if brain response to tACS differs between groups.

Conditions

Stroke; Aphasia, Acquired; Aphasia

Keywords

non-invasive brain stimulation; transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS); EEG

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Performance on the Blocked-Cyclic Naming (BCN) Task

  The BCN tasks involves naming a set of pictures repeatedly. Sets of pictures come from either the same semantic category (high competition condition; e.g., categorically related: "dog", "cat", "panda") or different semantic categories (low competition condition; e.g., unrelated: dog, eye, crib).

  5-10 minutes after a single session of active (alpha tACS) and sham (fake tACS).

Study Arms (2)

real-tACS

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

The active stimulation will consist of an alternating current delivered in the alpha frequency band with a peak-to-peak intensity of 4 milliamps (mA) for 20 minutes. Participants will complete sentence completion and verb generation task during stimulation.

Device: Active transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS)

sham-tACS

PLACEBO COMPARATOR

Sham stimulation involves the delivery of 60 seconds of the actual stimulation waveform ("ramp up") which is then gradually reduced to 0 milliamps (mA) ("ramp down"). Participants will complete sentence completion and verb generation task during stimulation.

Device: Active transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS)

Interventions

Active transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) DEVICE

Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (tACS) is a device that applies a low-intensity electrical current to the brain through electrodes on the scalp.

Also known as: Sham transcranial alternating current stimulation [(ACS)

real-tACS; sham-tACS

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 85 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Presence of aphasia
• Suffered a single, left hemisphere stroke
• Stroke ≥6 months old (chronic) at the time of enrollment
• Right-handedness
• Must be able to understand the nature of the study, and give informed consent

You may not qualify if:

• Inability to understand the nature of the study
• Marked naming impairment
• Impaired non-verbal, conceptual processing
• History of significant medical or neurological disorder (other than stroke)
• History of significant or poorly controlled psychiatric disorders
• Current abuse of alcohol or drugs, prescription or otherwise
• Nursing a child, pregnancy, or intent to become pregnant during the study
• Clinically significant hearing loss
• Contraindications to tACS
• Contraindications to MRI
• Diagnosis of a neurodegenerative disease or clinically significant cognitive complaint
• Any unrelated neurologic or physical condition that impairs communication ability
• History of unrelated neurological conditions including but not limited to traumatic brain injury, stroke, or small vessel disease that has resulted in a neurologic deficit
• Any additional neurological condition that would likely reduce the safety of study participation, including central nervous system (CNS) vasculitis, intracranial tumor, intracranial aneurysm, multiple sclerosis or arteriovenous malformations
• A medically unstable cardiopulmonary or metabolic disorder

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Pennsylvania: lead

Study Sites (1)

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104, United States

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Stroke; Aphasia

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Cerebrovascular Disorders; Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Vascular Diseases; Cardiovascular Diseases; Speech Disorders; Language Disorders; Communication Disorders; Neurobehavioral Manifestations; Neurologic Manifestations; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Central Study Contacts

Daniela Sacchetti, MS

CONTACT

215 573 4336; danielas@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

Denise Harvey, PhD

CONTACT

215 573 4336; harveyde@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: TRIPLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, CARE PROVIDER, INVESTIGATOR
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: CROSSOVER
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Model Details: The proposed study is a within-subject, double-blind \& sham-controlled

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: September 28, 2023
• First Posted: October 23, 2023
• Study Start: July 12, 2024
• Primary Completion (Estimated): August 31, 2028
• Study Completion (Estimated): August 31, 2028
• Last Updated: August 8, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-08

Locations

US (1)