Zapping the brain to restore speech after stroke?

NCT ID NCT06092814

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
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Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Aug 24, 2026 · Last updated Aug 25, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study tests whether transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) can enhance language abilities in people with aphasia, a language disorder that often follows a stroke. Participants with post-stroke aphasia will receive both real and sham tACS while performing language tasks, and their responses will be compared to healthy older adults. The goal is to see if this non-invasive brain stimulation technique can improve word-finding and naming, and whether the brains of people with aphasia respond differently to the stimulation.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS), a device that delivers low-intensity electrical current to the brain via scalp electrodes
What this could lead to
If effective, tACS could offer a non-invasive way to enhance language recovery in people with aphasia after stroke, potentially improving their ability to name objects and communicate.
What could go wrong
This is an early-stage study, and the benefits of tACS are not yet proven. The effect may be small or not translate to real-world language gains, and individual responses may vary.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 120 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Jul 2024

Expected to finish

Aug 2028

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 to 85 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria for Persons with Aphasia: 1. Presence of aphasia 2. Suffered a single, left hemisphere stroke 3. Stroke ≥6 months old (chronic) at the time of enrollment Inclusion Criteria for Healthy Controls: 1. Right-handedness 2. Must be able to understand the nature of the study, and give informed consent Exclusion criteria for Persons with Aphasia: 1. Inability to understand the nature of the study 2. Marked naming impairment 3. Impaired non-verbal, conceptual processing 4. History of significant medical or neurological disorder (other than stroke) 5. History of significant or poorly controlled psychiatric disorders 6. Current abuse of alcohol or drugs, prescription or otherwise 7. Nursing a child, pregnancy, or intent to become pregnant during the study 8. Clinically significant hearing loss 9. Contraindications to tACS 10. Contraindications to MRI Exclusion Criteria for Healthy Controls 1. Diagnosis of a neurodegenerative disease or clinically significant cognitive complaint 2. Any unrelated neurologic or physical condition that impairs communication ability 3. History of unrelated neurological conditions including but not limited to traumatic brain injury, stroke, or small vessel disease that has resulted in a neurologic deficit 4. Any additional neurological condition that would likely reduce the safety of study participation, including central nervous system (CNS) vasculitis, intracranial tumor, intracranial aneurysm, multiple sclerosis or arteriovenous malformations 5. A medically unstable cardiopulmonary or metabolic disorder 6. Terminal illness associated with survival \<12 months 7. Major active psychiatric illness that may interfere with required study procedures or treatments as determined by the enrolling physician 8. Current abuse of alcohol or drugs, prescription or otherwise 9. Contraindications to tACS 10. Contraindications to MRI

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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.

How to take part

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  1. The places running it

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  2. The official record

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Contacts and locations

Locations

  • University of Pennsylvania

    RECRUITING

    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104, United States

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