Painting your way back to speech: art therapy shows promise for aphasia after stroke

NCT ID NCT03820843

First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 2 times

Summary

This study tested whether adding art therapy to standard speech rehab could help people who recently had a stroke and now have trouble speaking (aphasia). Fifteen participants received 12 art therapy sessions alongside their usual therapy. Researchers used brain scans to see if art therapy changed brain connections, hoping it might activate the right side of the brain to compensate for the damaged left side.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
art therapy
What this could lead to
If it works, this could point toward a new, enjoyable way to help stroke survivors regain language skills by activating the brain's right hemisphere.
What could go wrong
This is a very small, early study with only 15 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The main goal is to measure brain changes, not language improvement, so it's unclear if art therapy directly helps speech.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Soins de Suite et Réadaptation

    Paris, 75013, France

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