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NCT04046991
Treating Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA) Using High-definition tDCS
Phase 2 trial testing high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation in Primary Progressive Aphasia in 76 participants. Completed in 30 June 2025.
30 June 2025
Quick facts
| Lead sponsor | University of Pennsylvania |
|---|---|
| Phase | Phase 2 |
| Status | Completed |
| Study type | INTERVENTIONAL |
| Allocation | randomized |
| Design | crossover |
| Masking | triple |
| Primary purpose | treatment |
| Enrollment | 76 |
| Start date | 17 August 2020 |
| Primary completion | 30 June 2025 |
| Estimated completion | 30 June 2025 |
| Sites | 1 location across United States |
Drugs / interventions tested
- high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation
- modified constraint-induced language therapy
Conditions studied
- Primary Progressive Aphasia — all drugs for Primary Progressive Aphasia →
Sponsor
University of Pennsylvania
Who can join
Adults 45 to 80, any sex, with Primary Progressive Aphasia. Patients with the condition only — healthy volunteers not accepted.
Sponsor's own description
This is a double-blind, sham-controlled, crossover study in which subjects with the non-fluent/agrammatic and logopenic variants of primary progressive aphasia (naPPA and lvPPA, respectively) will undergo language testing and structural and functional brain imaging before and after receiving 10 semi-consecutive daily sessions of real or sham high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) paired with modified constraint-induced language therapy (mCILT). Language testing and brain imaging will be repeated immediately after completion of and 3 months following completion of treatment. The 3-month follow-up will be the primary endpoint. The investigators will examine changes in language performance induced by HD-tDCS + mCILT compared to sham HD-tDCS + mCILT. The investigators will also use network science to analyze brain imaging (fMRI) data to identify network properties associated with baseline PPA severity and tDCS-induced changes in performance. This study will combine knowledge gained from our behavioral, imaging, and network data in order to determine the relative degrees to which these properties predict whether persons with PPA will respond to intervention.
Publications & conference data
1 peer-reviewed publication reference this trial (live from Europe PMC):
-
Experimental Disease-Modifying Agents for Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration.
Giunta M, Solje E, Gardoni F, Borroni B, et al · · 2021 · cited 9× · PMID 33790662 · DOI 10.2147/jep.s262352
Verify or expand the search:
- PubMed search for NCT04046991
- Europe PMC full search
- ASCO Meeting Library
- ESMO Meeting Library
- bioRxiv preprints
- medRxiv preprints
- Google Scholar
Related trials
Other trials of high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation
Trials testing the same drug.
- NCT07115615 — Exploring the Efficacy of Accelerated Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) as Adjunct to Pharmacotherapy in th · NA · not yet recruiting
- NCT06706479 — The Effects of High-definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Balance Control in Older Adults With Chronic L · NA · enrolling by invitation
- NCT04086446 — Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) in the Treatment of Drug-naïve Obsessive-compulsive Disorder(OCD) · NA · completed
Other recruiting trials for Primary Progressive Aphasia
Currently open trials in the same condition.
- NCT06191198 — Communication Bridge 3 Study · Phase 2 · recruiting
- NCT06211374 — Communication Bridge Pilot Study · NA · active not recruiting
- NCT05386394 — Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in the Treatment of Primary Progressive Aphasia · Phase 2 · recruiting
- NCT05741853 — Cognitive Reserve and Response to Speech-Language Intervention in Bilingual Speakers With Primary Progressive Aphasia · NA · recruiting
- NCT05443633 — Enhancing Language Function in Aphasia · NA · recruiting
Other University of Pennsylvania trials
Trials by the same sponsor.
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- NCT07489430 — DaxibotulinumtoxinA for Blepharospasm · Phase 2 · not yet recruiting
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- NCT06645769 — Na-Phenylbutyrate VAscular Trial · EARLY_PHASE1 · not yet recruiting
Verify against primary sources
- ClinicalTrials.gov — authoritative US registry record
- WHO ICTRP — international registry index
- EU Clinical Trials Register
- Sponsor press releases (Google)
- Trial protocol + status: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04046991 (US National Library of Medicine, public domain)
- Publications: Europe PMC API search by NCT ID, retrieved 10 June 2026
- Drug + disease cross-links: matched in real time against Drug Landscape's normalised drug + company + condition tables
- Sponsor: as reported to ClinicalTrials.gov by University of Pennsylvania
- Last refreshed: 15 October 2025
Drug Landscape aggregates and links these public records for informational use only. Always verify against the primary source before clinical or regulatory decisions. Canonical URL: https://druglandscape.com/trial/NCT04046991.
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