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Find more clinical trials

TMS and Language Therapy for Verbal Communication Problems in Alzheimer's Disease

Start: February 19, 2020
End: December 2023
Enrollment: 30

What Is This Study About?

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a safe and noninvasive means of electrically stimulating the brain using a magnet. noninvasive way to stimulate the brain. Constrained induced language therapy (CILT) is a therapy that allows only verbal communication and has been used to treat verbal communication problems after a stroke or in people with dementia. This study will test the effects of combining TMS and verbal language therapy on improving language and speaking abilities in people with Alzheimer's disease. Each study participant will begin with three treatment sessions, lasting one to two hours each, depending on the comfort of the participant. In addition, each participant will receive an MRI scan of the brain or a CAT scan of the head, as appropriate. During the two-week treatment phase, each participant will receive 10 TMS sessions with CILT therapy or a sham. In follow-up, there will be two three-month post-treatment visits and two six-month post-treatment visits for final language and cognitive tests and a final MRI or CT scan.

Do I Qualify To Participate in This Study?

Minimum Age: 60 Years

Maximum Age: 85 Years

Must have:

  • Diagnosis of mild or moderate Alzheimer's disease
  • Mild-moderate cognitive impairment (Mini-Mental State Exam scores between 15 and 23)
  • Right-handed
  • Native English speaker

Must NOT have:

  • History of stroke, seizure, any other significant neurologic disease (e.g., amyotrophic lateral sclerosis)
  • Significant depression, as defined by the Geriatric Depression Scale
  • Any significant medical disorder that could interfere with the participant's ability to complete the study (e.g., cancer, significant heart disease)
  • Any factors that make receiving TMS unadvisable, including uncontrolled seizures, previous brain surgery, and history of tinnitus

If I Qualify, Who Do I Contact?

Contact study personnel listed either under the general study contact or the location nearest you.

Study Contact
Daniela Sacchetti, MS
Samuel Cason, MA

Need Help?

Contact NIA’s Alzheimer’s and related Dementias Education and Referral (ADEAR) Center at 800-438-4380 or email ADEAR.

Where Is This Study Located?

Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Recruiting
Research Coordinator

Who Sponsors This Study?

Lead: University of Pennsylvania

Collaborator Sponsor

  • National Institutes of Health (NIH)
  • National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT04482179

alzheimers.gov

An official website of the U.S. government, managed by the National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health