New Hand-Gesture therapy may help stroke survivors find words again
NCT ID NCT04267198
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tested a behavioral therapy called Intention Treatment for Anomia in 32 stroke survivors with aphasia (language impairment). The therapy uses a left-hand circular gesture to engage the brain's intention mechanisms and improve word retrieval. Researchers looked at how often the therapy should be given and what factors predict a good response, aiming to make treatment more effective and personalized.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Intention Treatment for Anomia (a behavioral therapy using a left-hand circular gesture to aid word retrieval)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could help personalize aphasia therapy, improving word-finding ability for stroke survivors.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, completed study (32 participants) focused on understanding treatment effects and predictors, not a large-scale efficacy trial. Results may not apply to all people with aphasia.
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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32 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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May 2021
- Finished
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Sep 2025
- Lead sponsor
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A government agency
The lead sponsor is a US federal agency other than the NIH.
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 to 89 years
- 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: * English as primary language * \> 6 months post-onset a left-hemisphere stroke. Multiple strokes are acceptable as long as they are confined to the left hemisphere. * Diagnosis of aphasia * Presence of word retrieval deficits * Adequate comprehension as judged by ability to complete two-step commands on the Western Aphasia Battery. Exclusion Criteria: * Severe apraxia of speech or dysarthria * Clinically significant depression * For MRI safety: implanted medical devices, metal in the body and claustrophobia.
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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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Atlanta VA Medical and Rehab Center, Decatur, GA
Decatur, Georgia, 30033-4004, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Moving patterns may help stroke survivors read faster
- Vibrating wearables put stroke walking to the test
- Robot plus electrical stimulation aims to rebuild arm movement after stroke
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