Could zapping the brain help people with Alzheimer's speak better?
NCT ID NCT03887481
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether a gentle electrical current applied to specific brain areas can boost the effects of language therapy in people with logopenic variant primary progressive aphasia (lvPPA), a form of Alzheimer's that mainly affects language. Sixty participants will receive either active or sham brain stimulation while doing word repetition exercises. The goal is to see if this combination improves short-term memory for words and generalizes to other language skills.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a non-drug way to boost language therapy and improve communication for people with this form of early-onset Alzheimer's.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage study with only 60 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The benefits may be small or temporary, and not all people respond to brain stimulation.
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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
-
Johns Hopkins Hospital
RECRUITINGBaltimore, Maryland, 21287, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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