Neural Bases of Vocal Sensorimotor Impairment in Aphasia

Launched by THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT DALLAS · Feb 3, 2021

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying aphasia, a common communication problem that can occur after a stroke, making it hard for people to speak, understand, or control their speech. The research aims to better understand how both speech production and the ability to hear and process speech affect communication skills. By examining the brain activity of individuals with aphasia compared to healthy individuals, the study hopes to identify specific areas of the brain that may be damaged and how this relates to their speech difficulties. The ultimate goal is to improve diagnosis and treatment strategies for those affected by aphasia.

To participate in the study, individuals must be between the ages of 21 and 75 and have a diagnosis of aphasia due to a stroke that occurred at least six months prior. Participants should be right-handed and native English speakers. Healthy individuals without any speech or hearing problems will also be included as a comparison group. During the study, participants will take part in various speech tasks while their brain activity is monitored. This could help researchers develop better therapies for improving communication in people with aphasia. If you or someone you know fits these criteria, this could be an opportunity to contribute to important research in this area.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • A total of 50 individuals with aphasia due to chronic left hemisphere stroke (\> 6 months post-stroke) and 50 age- and gender-matched healthy control subjects will be recruited in this study. The general inclusion criteria for all subjects include: age range 21-75 years, right-handed, and native speaker of English. The aphasic subjects have previously undergone neuro-psychological speech/language testing and have been diagnosed with one type of aphasia (e.g., Broca's, Wernicke's, conduction or anomic). Subjects in the control group will meet the inclusion criteria with having normal voice, speech, language, and hearing function and no history of neurological and psychiatric disorder. We expect that a significant proportion of aphasic patients will show symptoms associated with Apraxia of Speech (AOS) or dysarthria; however, these patients will not be excluded unless their deficits will preclude them from performing the experimental tasks.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Subjects with moderate to severe hearing, memory, and/or cognitive impairments will be excluded for both groups. In addition, subjects with history of peripheral laryngeal disorders (e.g., paresis or vocal fold paralysis) will be excluded. Subjects will undergo safety screening and will be excluded if there are any factors counter-indicative for EEG and/or MRI scanning.