Criterion-learning Naming Treatment For Addressing Comprehension Deficits in Aphasia

NCT07179458 | Enrolling By Invitation

• 2 other identifiers: 4526.4R01DC015516
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 20
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Aphasia is a disorder of spoken and written language, most commonly following a stroke. It is estimated that between 2.5 and 4 million Americans are living with aphasia today. A common problem in aphasia involves difficulty retrieving known words in the course of language production and comprehension. The overarching goal of this project is to develop and test early efficacy, efficiency, and the tolerability of a lexical treatment for aphasia in multiple-session regimens that are comprised of retrieval practice, distributed practice, and training dedicated to the elicitation of correct retrievals. The aim of this work is to add to and refine the evidence base for the implementation and optimization of these elements in the treatment of production and comprehension deficits in aphasia, and make important steps towards an ultimate goal of self-administered lexical treatment grounded in retrieval practice principles (RPP) to supplement traditional speech-language therapy that is appropriate for People with Aphasia (PWA) from a broad level of severity of lexical processing deficit in naming and/or comprehension. This project cumulatively builds on prior work to develop a theory of learning for lexical processing impairment in aphasia that aims to ultimately explain why and for whom familiar lexical treatments work, and how to maximize the benefits they confer.

Conditions

Aphasia

Keywords

anomia; retrieval practice; word-finding problem; communication disorder; naming impairment; word comprehension impairment

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Trained comprehension items

  Word-picture verification task

  approximately one-week and one-month following treatment

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• Trained naming items

  a single session held during a single day, scheduled at the participant's convenience but typically held within two weeks following pre-treatment assessment

• Trained comprehension items

  pre-treatment

• Untrained comprehension items

  pre-treatment, approximately one-week and one-month post-treatment

Study Arms (1)

Criterion-learning practice

EXPERIMENTAL

This is a single-arm study

Behavioral: Criterion-learning practice

Interventions

Criterion-learning practice BEHAVIORAL

The experiments will be presented on a computer. On each criterion-learning trial, a picture is presented and the participant is asked to try to produce the name for the object with or without a cue. Correct-answer feedback is provided. Criterion learning involves presenting a block of items in fixed order, and on each trial, the experimenter or a voice-recognition component will code the response during the trial as correct/incorrect. When the item reaches its assigned criterion level, it is dropped from further training in a session.

Criterion-learning practice

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 89 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• English as a native or primary language
• Adults with stroke who are at least 6 months post-onset
• Exhibit semantic comprehension deficit, defined as a minimum of 80 errors on word-picture verification pre-test

You may not qualify if:

• History of comorbid neurological diagnoses, such as Multiple Sclerosis or Parkinson's Disease
• History of a learning disability that significantly impacted language development, such as developmental language disorder
• Insufficient stamina to participate in the protocol

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Albert Einstein Healthcare Network: lead
• Thomas Jefferson University: collaborator
• National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD): collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Jefferson Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute

Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, 19027, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Aphasia; Anomia; Communication Disorders

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Speech Disorders; Language Disorders; Neurobehavioral Manifestations; Neurologic Manifestations; Nervous System Diseases; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Neurodevelopmental Disorders; Mental Disorders

Study Officials

• Erica L Middleton, PhD

  Albert Einstein Healthcare Network

  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: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Institute Scientist, Jefferson Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: August 25, 2025
• First Posted: September 17, 2025
• Study Start: June 24, 2024
• Primary Completion (Estimated): August 1, 2028
• Study Completion (Estimated): August 1, 2028
• Last Updated: October 7, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-09

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: ANALYTIC CODE
• Time Frame: 6 months following publication
• Access Criteria: Anonymized data and analysis code will be accessible on the Open Science Framework (OSF).

Locations

US (1)