Clinical Research Directory

Remotely-supervised Neuromodulation in PPA

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether remotely-supervised transcranial direct-current stimulation (RS-tDCS) can improve speech and language treatments for individuals with logopenic variant primary progressive aphasia (lvPPA). tDCS is a form of brain stimulation where a low-level electrical current is delivered to the brain through electrodes placed on the head. The main questions the trial aims to answer are: * Is it feasible to do RS-tDCS with virtual speech therapy? * How can brain magnetic resonance imaging scans (MRIs) predict how well someone will benefit from RS-tDCS with virtual speech therapy? Researchers will compare active RS-tDCS stimulation to sham stimulation (where there is no active stimulation, but participants feel stimulation effects at the beginning and end of the session). Participants will: * Travel to either the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) or the University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) one time for in-person testing, an MRI scan, and training on how to use the RS-tDCS equipment * Meet with a speech-language pathologist for pre-treatment testing on Zoom for 2 weeks * Participate in speech-language therapy and independent practice on Zoom 5 days a week for 4 weeks, using either active tDCS stimulation or sham * Complete post-treatment testing on Zoom for 1-2 weeks * Complete follow-up testing 2 months after completion of treatment

Intervention for Communication Quality of Life in Primary Progressive Aphasia

The goal of this clinical trial is to determine whether individually tailored speech-language telerehabilitation helps improve communication in people with primary progressive aphasia (PPA), a form of dementia that affects speech and language. The study will be offered to individuals who speak English and/or Spanish. The study will also document how acceptable and beneficial the program is to both patients and their care partners. The main questions the study aims to answer are: 1. Is the telerehabilitation program feasible and acceptable for people with PPA and their care partners? 2. Do participants with PPA and care partners find treatment beneficial? 3. Which outcome measures are most useful for evaluating changes in communication and quality of life? 4. What patterns of treatment response are seen in participants after completing the program? The program includes both speech-language therapy and training for care partners. Participants with PPA will: 1. Complete virtual communication tasks and questionnaires before and after the program 2. Take part in online speech-language therapy sessions 3. Include their care partners in some parts of the program for training and support