High Definition Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (HD-tACS) for Post-stroke Aphasia

August 15, 2022 updated by: WANG KAI, Anhui Medical University
To investigate the intervention effect of high definition transcranial alternating current stimulation(HD-tACS) in chronic post-stroke aphasia and its underlying neural mechanism by MRI.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Aphasia is one of the most frequent cognitive deficits in poststroke survivor. More than 20% of stroke patients suffered from language impairment. The recovery of language dysfunction after stroke is highly variable. Some patients recover spontaneously in the early phases of stroke, but about two thirds of patients never fully restore language ability. The purpose of this study was to explore the intervention effect of high definition transcranial alternating current stimulation in chronic post-stroke aphasia.

40 patients with language disorder diagnosed by the Aphasia Battery of Chinese (ABC) were recruited from the first affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University. All participants underwent a structured interview and routine laboratory examination before and after receiving HD-tACS. After meeting the inclusion criteria and obtaining informed consent, each participant will complete the clinical evaluation, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and HD-tACS treatment conducted by trained researchers at the Neuropsychological Synergetic Innovation Center of Anhui Medical University.

All the participants were randomized (1:1) to receive "real" or "sham" treatment protocol. Stimulation electrodes were arranged in a 4 × 1 ring configuration at F1, F2, C1 ,C2 and FCz, with the central one delivering an alternating current 2 mA and the surrounding 4 electrodes delivering one-fourth of the central electrode's current in the opposite polarity. The average peak-to-peak stimulation intensity across participants was 2 mA for the 6-Hz tACS. In the sham condition, 6-Hz tACS was delivered only during the ramp-up and ramp-down periods (30 s); no current was delivered during the 30-minute intervention. The tACS stimulation lasted 30 minutes, a duration that is common in cognitive neuroscience research. During the tACS, participants sat comfortably in front of a screen, training the speech and comprehension functions to follow a speech therapist.

Before and after the HD-tACS treatment, the patients had receiving a battery measure of neuropsychological tests and Magnetic resonance imaging scan in multimodalities. Neuropsychological assessment included ABC, VFT, Token, MMSE, MoCA, HAMD, HAMA, ADL. Multimodal fMRI includes 3D-T1, rs-fMRI, DTI and ASL.

Neuropsychological evaluation and magnetic resonance imaging data were obtained again 24 hours after the last treatment. The symptoms of the patients were followed up one month after the end of treatment.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Anticipated)

40

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • China
      • Hefei, China
        • Recruiting
        • Anhui Medical University
        • Contact:
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Mengdan Zhang

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

14 years to 71 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • aphasia diagnosed by the ABC.
  • 18-75 years old.
  • native Chinese speaker.
  • right-handed.
  • post onset of stroke ≥6months.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • mental illness .
  • severe dysarthria.
  • a history of head injury or surgery.
  • alcohol or substance abuse.
  • cerebral tumor or abscess.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Triple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: real stimulation
Stimulation electrodes were arranged in a 4 × 1 ring configuration at F1, F2, C1 ,C2 and FCz, with the central one delivering an alternating current 2 mA and the surrounding 4 electrodes delivering one-fourth of the central electrode's current in the opposite polarity. The average peak-to-peak stimulation intensity across participants was 2 mA for the 6-Hz tACS. Participants will receive real tACS once daily for two weeks.
Device: High definition transcranial alternating current stimulation
tACS is described as a non-invasive form of brain stimulation that uses a low-intensity, alternating current applied directly to the head through scalp electrodes.
Sham Comparator: sham stimulation
In the sham condition, 6-Hz tACS was delivered only during the ramp-up and ramp-down periods (30 s); no current was delivered during the 30-minute intervention. Participants will receive sham tDCS once daily for two weeks.
Device: sham high definition transcranial alternating current stimulation
. In the sham condition, 6-Hz tACS was delivered only during the ramp-up and ramp-down periods (30 s); no current was delivered during the 30-minute intervention.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
language function
Time Frame: baseline and immediately after intervention
Language deficit was assessed by the same professional language therapist using the Aphasia Battery of Chinese (ABC). The multidimensional test contains four subtypes, including spontaneous speech (semi-standardized interview, assessment of the fluency, and information of speech; total score 20 points), auditory comprehension (yes or no question, auditory picture matching task, and verbal instruction; total score 230 points), repetition (words and sentences; total score 100 points), and naming (simple objects, colors, pictures, and situations; total score 80 points). The combined score is used to calculate an aphasia quotient (AQ) reflecting the overall severity of language impairment. Patients with AQ below 93.8 points were considered as aphasic.
baseline and immediately after intervention
resting-state functional connectivity
Time Frame: baseline and immediately after intervention
the change of resting-state functional connectivity strength between stimulated target and the whole brain areas will be measured by functional MRI.
baseline and immediately after intervention

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
comprehension function
Time Frame: baseline and immediately after intervention
the change of comprehension dysfunction will be assessed by Token. Token is composed of six parts. Token scale scores range from 0 to 36 points. Lower scores indicate more severe comprehension dysfunction.
baseline and immediately after intervention
MMSE(Mini Mental State Examination)
Time Frame: baseline and immediately after intervention
The full name of MMSE is mini-mental state examination, and the scale consists of 30 subject, include the following seven aspects: time orientation, place orientation,immediate memory,attention and calculation,delay memory,language, visual space.One point is awarded for each question correctly answered during MMSE evaluation. If subject give the wrong answer or don't know answe he/she awarded 0 score, scope of scale score of 0 to 30 points. The higher the score, the better.
baseline and immediately after intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Anhui Medical University

Investigators

  • Study Chair: Xiaohui Xie, Anhui Medical University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

March 18, 2021

Primary Completion (Anticipated)

December 30, 2023

Study Completion (Anticipated)

December 30, 2023

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

July 26, 2022

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 15, 2022

First Posted (Actual)

August 16, 2022

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

August 16, 2022

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 15, 2022

Last Verified

August 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • AHMU-TES-Aphaisa

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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