N/A N=18 Randomized Triple-blind Treatment

Treating Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA) Using tDCS

Primary Progressive Aphasia

Bottom Line

View on ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04566731 ↗

Enrolled (actual)

Serious AEs

5.6%

Results posted

Nov 2025

Primary outcome: Primary: Western Aphasia Battery Aphasia Quotient (WAB-AQ) — 74.4; 76.5; 72.5; 76.0 scores on a scale — p=<.05

Study Design & Population

Study type: Interventional
Phase: N/A
Interventions: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) (Device); Sham tDCS (Device); Modified Contraint-Induced Language Therapy (mCILT) (Behavioral)
Age: Adult, Older Adult · 45+ yrs
Sex: All
Sponsor: University of Pennsylvania
Primary completion: Jul 2024

Outcome Measures

Outcome	Result	p-value
PRIMARY Western Aphasia Battery Aphasia Quotient (WAB-AQ)	74.4; 76.5; 72.5; 76.0; 72.5; 80.7	<.05 sig

Summary

This is a double-blind, sham-controlled, crossover study in which subjects with the non-fluent/agrammatic and semantic variants of primary progressive aphasia (naPPA and svPPA, respectively) will undergo language testing and structural and functional brain imaging before and after receiving 10 semi-consecutive daily sessions of real or sham transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) paired with modified constraint-induced language therapy (mCILT). Language testing and brain imaging will be repeated immediately after completion of and up-to 24 weeks following completion of treatment. The investigators will examine changes in language performance induced by tDCS + mCILT compared to sham tDCS + mCILT. The investigators will also use network science to analyze brain imaging (fMRI) data to identify network properties associated with baseline PPA severity and tDCS-induced changes in performance. This study will combine knowledge gained from our behavioral, imaging, and network data in order to determine the relative degrees to which these properties predict whether persons with PPA will respond to intervention.

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

Presence of aphasia attributable to the semantic variant (svPPA) or non- fluent/agrammatic variant (naPPA) of Primary Progressive Aphasia.
Must be a native English speaker

Exclusion Criteria

History of seizures or unexplained loss of consciousness
Subjects with metallic objects in the face or head other than dental apparatus such as braces, ﬁllings, and implants.
Subjects with Pacemakers or ICDs.
Subjects with previous craniotomy or any breach in the skull
Subjects with a history of other neurological disorder (stroke, TBI, Parkinson)
Subjects with a history of small vessel disease

View full record on ClinicalTrials.gov →

Data sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04566731). Outcome figures and adverse-event rates are extracted automatically from the registry's posted results and are provided for clinician reference, not as a substitute for the primary publication.