Brain Stimulation for Primary Progressive Aphasia
(StAB Trial)
What You Need to Know Before You Apply
What is the purpose of this trial?
The goal of this project is to investigate whether transcranial electrical stimulation and sensory stimulation affect language outcomes in individuals with primary progressive aphasia (PPA). The main questions it aims to answer are:
Does transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) affect verbal short-term memory (STM) in individuals with PPA? Does a single session of multisensory stimulation affect verbal STM in individuals with PPA? Researchers will compare active tACS to sham tACS (a fake stimulation condition) to see if active tACS improves verbal STM. Researchers will compare pre-multisensory stimulation to post-stimulation performance to see if multisensory stimulation improves verbal STM.
Participants will:
Undergo EEG, MRI (anatomical and functional) May complete a cognitive exam Undergo tACS over 3 separate sessions Undergo multisensory stimulation Complete language tasks before, during and/or after stimulation
Who Is on the Research Team?
Priyanka Shah-Basak, PhD
Principal Investigator
Medical College of Wisconsin
Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?
This trial is for adults diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia (PPA), a condition that affects language abilities. Participants should be able to undergo brain scans and complete language tasks. People with conditions or devices that make EEG or MRI unsafe cannot join.Inclusion Criteria
Exclusion Criteria
What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?
Interventions
- Multisensory Stimulation
- Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (tACS)
Trial Overview
The study tests whether two types of non-invasive brain stimulation—transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) and multisensory stimulation—can improve short-term memory for words in people with PPA. It uses both real and fake (sham) tACS sessions, as well as before-and-after comparisons for sensory stimulation.
How Is the Trial Designed?
1
Treatment groups
Experimental Treatment
All participants in a within-subject design will receive high-Definition-tACS, delivered via a battery operated alternating current stimulator (Soterix) using two center-surround montages. Targets of stimulation will be localized based on the 10-10 International EEG system with center electrodes placed at a frontal and a temporoparietal site. The current is turned on and increased in a ramplike fashion over approximately 30 seconds. Participants will undergo tACS with frequencies ranging from 4-40Hz for 20-minutes with 2 milliampere (mA) peak-to-peak intensity. For sham stimulation, tACS is turned off after the first 30 seconds. All participants will receive light and/or sound flicker stimulation using an off-the-shelf app for 20 minutes.
Find a Clinic Near You
Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?
Medical College of Wisconsin
Lead Sponsor
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