Can training dogs help people with aphasia find their voice?
NCT ID NCT04610346
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tested a program where adults with aphasia (a language disorder often from stroke) learn to train dogs using positive reinforcement. The goal was to see if this boosts quality of life, confidence, and social engagement. Seventeen participants completed the program, and researchers measured changes in self-reported well-being and dog-training skills.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Persons with Aphasia Training Dogs Program (behavioral intervention)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a new way to improve confidence and social engagement for people with aphasia.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small, completed study with only 17 participants and no control group, so results may not apply broadly. The program requires significant time and travel commitment.
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
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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
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17 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Mar 2023
- Finished
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Aug 2024
- Lead sponsor
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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
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21 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide 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: 1. Clinical diagnosis of aphasia acquired as the result of cerebro-vascular accident (CVA) 2. English as a native or primary language 3. Evidence of linguistic and cognitive capacity to understand the research requirements 4. Willingness and stamina to participate in the protocol 5. Lives within 1 hour driving distance to MRRI (50 Township Line Rd, Elkins Park, PA 19027 and (as appropriate) PSPCA HQ (350 E. Erie Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19134 Exclusion Criteria: • Diagnosis of neurological injury or disease other than CVA
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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
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Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute
Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, 19027, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Zapping the brain to restore speech after stroke?
- Can exercise boost reading recovery in stroke survivors?
- Can training the brain to think about words boost recovery from stroke-related aphasia?
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- Brain zaps may unlock lost words after stroke