Could a tiny zap to the head help stroke survivors speak again?
NCT ID NCT03452202
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether a safe, mild electrical current applied to the scalp (tDCS) can make speech therapy work better for people who have trouble speaking after a stroke. 24 participants with apraxia of speech will receive both real and sham stimulation at different times to see if it improves accuracy in speech tasks.
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) device
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a way to make speech therapy more effective for stroke survivors with apraxia of speech.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small, early-phase study with only 24 people. It tests a mild brain stimulation that may not improve speech outcomes, and results may not apply to 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 24 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jan 2019
- Expected to finish
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Apr 2027
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 99 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: * Right-handed * Monolingual (English) * Single left-hemisphere CVA * A minimum of six months post-stroke * Clinical diagnosis of apraxia of speech * Normal speech perception * Passing score on the hearing screening. Exclusion Criteria: * Diagnosis of laryngeal voice disorder * Dysarthria * History of speech impairment prior to CVA * Presence of potential tDCS risk factors: damaged skin at site of stimulation; * Presence of electrically or magnetically activated implant (including pacemaker); * metal in any part of their body; * history of medication-resistant epilepsy in the family; * past history of seizures or unexplained spells of loss of consciousness.
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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
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
2 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Burke Rehabilitation Hospital
RECRUITINGWhite Plains, New York, 10605, United States
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New York University School of Medicine
RECRUITINGNew York, New York, 10016, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Brain scans and speech tests could unlock mystery of rare speech disorder
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- Mayo clinic launches major brain disease tracking study
- New brain scan study aims to unravel mysteries of speech disorder