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Aphasia Physical EXercise Study: Randomized Trial
High-intensity Exercise in Stroke Recovery: Randomized Trial
Who can join
Ages 18 to 80 · All sexes
Full eligibility criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Aphasia following ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke * Aphasia as determined by a standardized language test (Western Aphasia Battery Aphasia Quotient \< 93.8 at study intake) * At least 6 months from the last stroke * Proficient in English before the stroke * At least 8 years of education * Between the ages of 18 and 80 * Independent with ambulation without a device (single-point cane accepted) * Medically stable with no contraindications to participate in regular physical exercise as determined by the patients' own primary care provider or other treating provider. Exclusion Criteria: * Prior history of dementia, neurologic illness (other than stroke), or recent (last 3 years) substance abuse * Significant visual or hearing disabilities (e.g., neglect, uncorrected visual or hearing loss) that interfere with testing * Self-report uncontrolled cardiorespiratory and/or metabolic disorders incompatible with exercise
About the study
The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the effects of a high-intensity exercise program on recovery in individuals with post-stroke aphasia. The high-intensity exercise program has been specifically designed for individuals with post-stroke aphasia and includes an interval training full-body workout, which can increase cardiovascular fitness, improve muscle strength and motor performance, and maximize cognitive and language gains. The main question this study aims to answer is:
• Does participation in a high-intensity exercise program lead to changes in physical health, language, cognitive, motor recovery, psychological and/or psychosocial domains?
Participants will be randomly assigned to either a high-intensity exercise program (target intervention) or a low-intensity exercise program (control intervention) delivered over 12-weeks in a group setting.
Outcome measures will be collected once immediately after the intervention period and once during the following 12-week maintenance period to capture short- and long-term effects of the exercise program.
What is being tested
- High-intensity physical exercise (behavioral)
- Low-intensity physical exercise (behavioral)
Sponsor: University of California, Berkeley · Participants: 120 · Started: Dec 1, 2025
Contact the study team
- Maria Ivanova, PhD · Phone: 650-390-7572
Official record on ClinicalTrials.gov — NCT07281313
Locations in the U.S.
| California | University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley California State University, East Bay, Hayward University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco University of San Francisco, San Francisco |
Conditions
From ClinicalTrials.gov, data retrieved Sep 30, 2026. Each study sets its own eligibility; the study team decides who can join.