NCT05653440

Balancing Effortful and Errorless Learning in Naming Treatment for Aphasia

Recruiting now Phase 2 Last updated 13 April 2026

What this trial tests

Phase 2 trial testing Accuracy-maximized condition in Aphasia in 30 participants. Currently enrolling.

Timeline

27 November 2023

Primary endpoint
31 January 2027

31 January 2028

Quick facts

Lead sponsor	University of Pittsburgh
Phase	Phase 2
Status	Recruiting now
Study type	INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation	randomized
Design	crossover
Masking	single
Primary purpose	treatment
Enrollment	30
Start date	27 November 2023
Primary completion	31 January 2027
Estimated completion	31 January 2028
Sites	1 location across United States

Drugs / interventions tested

• Accuracy-maximized condition
• Effort-maximized condition
• Effort-accuracy balanced condition

Conditions studied

• Aphasia — all drugs for Aphasia →
• Stroke — all drugs for Stroke →

Sponsor

University of Pittsburgh

Who can join

18 and older, any sex, with Aphasia or Stroke. Patients with the condition only — healthy volunteers not accepted.

Sponsor's own description

Aphasia is a language disorder caused by stroke and other acquired brain injuries that affects over two million people in the United States and which interferes with life participation and quality of life. Anomia (i.e., word- finding difficulty) is a primary frustration for people with aphasia. Picture-based naming treatments for anomia are widely used in aphasia rehabilitation, but current treatment approaches do not address the long-term retention of naming abilities and do not focus on using these naming abilities in daily life. The current research aims to evaluate novel anomia treatment approaches to improve long-term retention and generalization to everyday life.

This study is one of two that are part of a larger grant. This record is for sub-study 1, which will adaptively balance effort and accuracy using speeded naming deadlines.

Publications & conference data

1 peer-reviewed publication reference this trial (live from Europe PMC):

1. Adaptive balancing of effort, accuracy and response speed in anomia treatment for post-stroke aphasia in community-based settings in the USA: a within-subjects randomised controlled trial protocol.
   van der Stelt CM, Cavanaugh R, Hula WD, Starns J, et al · · 2026 · PMID 42161555 · DOI 10.1136/bmjopen-2025-116172