Could a gentle brain zap help stroke survivors find their words again?
NCT ID NCT06010030
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether a mild electrical current applied to the brain (tDCS) during speech therapy can improve language recovery in people with aphasia after a stroke. Two hundred adults with language problems from left-brain damage will receive either real or fake stimulation while doing speech exercises. The goal is to see if the combination leads to better speaking and understanding.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- targeted transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a new way to boost speech therapy and help stroke survivors recover language more effectively.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage study testing a device, so results may not lead to a proven treatment. The effect may be small or not work for everyone.
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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About 200 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
-
Oct 2023
- Expected to finish
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Jan 2033
An estimate. End dates often move.
- 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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18 to 85 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.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Patients must be 18 or older. Patients may not be older than 85. Patients must have a language deficit from left-sided focal neurologic damage (e.g. stroke, tumor). Patients must be adults and have English-language fluency. Patients must be eligible to undergo MRI. Beyond meeting the inclusion criteria, no preference will be given on the basis of race, ethnicity or gender. Exclusion Criteria: * Advanced neurodegenerative disease (i.e. Stage 3 Alzheimer's disease) Neurologic disease (e.g. idiopathic epilepsy, seizure disorders that are not well managed, Parkinson's disease, ALS), Severe psychopathology (e.g. schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, acute major depressive episode) Suspected or diagnosed uncorrectable hearing or vision difficulties, or developmental disabilities (i.e. intellectual disability or learning disability). Contraindications to MRI such as claustrophobia, implanted electronic devices, MRI-incompatible metal in the body, extreme obesity, pregnancy, inability to lie flat, inability to see or hear stimulus materials. Younger than 18 or older than 85. \< 6 months post tumor resection.
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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
-
Medical College of Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53226, United States
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