Pre-Frontal tDCS as a Novel Intervention to Reduce Effects of Post-Stroke Fatigue While Improving Language and Attention in Aphasia
Syracuse University
Summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to determine if electrical brain stimulation applied to the front parts of the brain can help people who have had a stroke improve their fatigue, language, and attention. The main question it aims to answer is: * Does transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) administered to the pre-frontal areas of the brain improve post-stroke fatigue and aphasia? * What kinds of participant characteristics are associated with better improvement of post-stroke fatigue and aphasia? Researchers will compare active electrical stimulation to sham stimulation to see if the active stimulation does a better job at reducing fatigue and language deficits after stroke. Participants will be asked to complete fatigue, language, and cognitive testing before and after receiving 10 sessions of tDCS plus speech and language therapy.
Eligibility
- Age range
- 18+ years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria: 1. 18 years or older. 2. No diagnosis of neurological disorder (other than stroke). 3. No diagnosis of psychiatric disorder, with the exception of anxiety and/or depression if it is managed through medication and/or behavioral intervention. 4. No seizure within the past 6 months. 5. Not pregnant. 6. Does not currently have cardiac pacemaker 7. In chronic phase of recovery, defined as at least 6 months post-stroke. 8. Not undergoing speech and language therapy targeting auditory comprehension or attention for the duration of the study. 9. No metal implants in the scalp or b…
Interventions
- DevicetDCS (active)
The investigators will administer active tDCS to left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) during 10 sessions of behavioral treatment. For active tDCS, the current will slowly be increased to 2mA and applied for 20 minutes.
- BehavioralAttention-focused sentence comprehension treatment
This is a specific type of speech-language therapy that focuses on simultaneously improving auditory comprehension and behavioral attention. Participants will receive 10 sessions of this treatment.
- BehavioralSentence comprehension treatment
This is a specific type of speech-language therapy that focuses on improving auditory comprehension . Participants will receive 10 sessions of this treatment.
- DevicetDCS (sham)
The investigators will administer sham tDCS to left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) during 10 sessions of behavioral treatment. For sham tDCS, the current will slowly be increased to 2mA over the course of 30 seconds and then immediately ramped back down to zero.
Locations (2)
- University of MichiganAnn Arbor, Michigan
- Syracuse UniversitySyracuse, New York