Communication Bridge Pilot Study

NCT06211374 | Active Not Recruiting

• 2 other identifiers: IRB23-16207R01AG055425-07
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 12
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness and feasibility of evidence-based interventions in individuals living with mild to moderate primary progressive aphasia (PPA) that address communication-focused outcomes.

Conditions

Primary Progressive Aphasia

Keywords

Aphasia; Dementia; Communication; Frontotemporal Dementia; Alzheimer Disease

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change in Communication Participation Person Centered Goals

  Goal Attainment Scaling, a 7-point rating scale with -3 representing 'no longer participating' and +3 representing 'exceeded goal'. Higher scores indicate better progress in goal achievement.

  Time Frame: 2 assessment time points through study completion, an average of 5 months, including change over time

Study Arms (1)

Communication Bridge™

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants receive Communication Bridge™, a multi-component, participation-focused, dyadic intervention in which both the person with PPA and their co-enrolled communication partner are intervention recipients. Communication Bridge™ is modelled on the Living with Aphasia: Framework for Outcome Measurement (A-FROM) and the Care Pathway Model that was developed for persons living with primary progressive aphasia. Consistent with participation-focused intervention models personally salient training stimuli are incorporated into all therapy activities in the Experimental arm.

Behavioral: Communication Bridge

Interventions

Communication Bridge BEHAVIORAL

Evidence-based speech language therapy treatment will be compared and contrasted in the two arms of the study.

Communication Bridge™

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 100 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Meets diagnostic criteria for PPA based on neurologist and supporting medical assessments (extracted from medical records)
• English as primary language used in daily communication activities (by self-report)
• Adequate hearing (aided or unaided) for communicating with others in a crowded room (by self-report)
• Adequate vision (aided or unaided) for reading a newspaper, or other functional materials (by self-report)
• Able to pass technology screening and demonstrates sufficient knowledge for use of video conference and Communication Bridge™ web application use (with or without training)
• Geriatric Depression Scale score ≤ 9
• Mild-moderate PPA informed by a structured interview with a speech-language pathologist and a standardized testing battery.
• + years of age
• English as primary language used in daily communication activities (by self-report)
• Adequate hearing (aided or unaided) for communicating with others in a crowded room (by self-report)
• Able to pass technology screening\* and demonstrates sufficient knowledge for use of video conference and Communication Bridge™ web application use (with or without training)

You may not qualify if:

• A dementia diagnosis other than Primary Progressive Aphasia
• Participation is co-enrolled in an outside speech language therapy program during the study course.
• Communication partners will be excluded if they have a pre-existing communication impairment that would affect study participation (e.g., aphasia, dementia) Medical records will be requested and reviewed to determine eligibility

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Chicago: lead
• Western University, Canada: collaborator
• National Institute on Aging (NIA): collaborator

Study Sites (1)

University of Chicago - American School Building

Chicago, Illinois, 60637, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Aphasia, Primary Progressive; Aphasia; Dementia; Communication; Frontotemporal Dementia; Alzheimer Disease

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Speech Disorders; Language Disorders; Communication Disorders; Neurobehavioral Manifestations; Neurologic Manifestations; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Neurocognitive Disorders; Mental Disorders; Behavior; Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration; TDP-43 Proteinopathies; Neurodegenerative Diseases; Proteostasis Deficiencies; Metabolic Diseases; Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases; Tauopathies

Study Officials

• Emily Roglaski, PhD

  Professor of Neurology

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: January 8, 2024
• First Posted: January 18, 2024
• Study Start: June 28, 2024
• Primary Completion (Estimated): May 31, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): May 31, 2026
• Last Updated: August 7, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-08

Locations

US (1)