Recovery From Post-Stroke Aphasia With rTMS Targeting Left or Right Anterior Temporal Lobe
Recovery From Post-Stroke Aphasia With rTMS Targeting the Anterior Temporal Lobe: Interhemispheric Activation Changes and Lesion-Connectome-Based Predictive Outcomes
Who can join
Ages 18 and older · All sexes
Full eligibility criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Right-handedness (assesed using the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory) * Native English speakers * Single left hemispheric stroke * Diagnosis of aphasia and lexicosemantic impairments (e.g., anomia, semantic errors in picture naming or spontaneous speech) confirmed by a Speech and Language Pathologist or Physician Exclusion Criteria: * Severely impaired auditory comprehension (WAB Comprehension score of 0 or 1) * Major phonological impairments (defined as \> 2 errors in non-word repetition of one- and two-syllable items on the PALPA, 2) * Contraindications to rTMS (e.g., uncontrolled epilepsy, history of seizures, intracranial ferromagnetic body, cochlear implant, or factors that lower seizure threshold (see Rossi et al., 2021) * Contraindication to MRI * Stroke involving the left ATL * Severe depression or psychiatric history * Illiteracy * Known neurodegenerative disorders * Severe uncorrected visual or hearing impairments
About the study
This project aims to tailor repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) target to the clinical profile of post-stroke aphasia, specifically focusing on lexicosemantic impairments, to enhance recovery. Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) will provide critical insights into the effects of facilitatory versus inhibitory stimulation on interhemispheric balance. Additionally, this study will generate new data on how lesion localization and brain connectivity influence individual responses to rTMS, explaining variability in treatment efficacy.
What is being tested
- continuous Theta Burst Stimulation (device)
- intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation (device)
- Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Sham (device)
- Semantic Feature Analysis (behavioral)
Sponsor: University of South Carolina · Participants: 45 · Started: May 15, 2026
Contact the study team
- Sophie Arheix-Parras, PhD · Phone: 803-467-8018
Official record on ClinicalTrials.gov — NCT07608588
Locations in the U.S.
| South Carolina | McCausland Center, Columbia |
Conditions
From ClinicalTrials.gov, data retrieved Sep 30, 2026. Each study sets its own eligibility; the study team decides who can join.