Communication Bridge Pilot Study

NCT ID: NCT06211374

Last Updated: 2025-08-07

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 12 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2024-06-28
• Study Completion Date: 2026-05-31

Brief Summary

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness and feasibility of evidence-based interventions in individuals living with mild to moderate primary progressive aphasia (PPA) that address communication-focused outcomes.

Detailed Description

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness and feasibility of evidence-based interventions in individuals living with mild to moderate primary progressive aphasia (PPA) that address communication-focused outcomes. The study team aims to enhance the personal relevance and therapeutic impact of goal attainment scaling (GAS) while building self-efficacy within a self-management framework.

This study will be a continuation of one of the largest non-pharmacologic intervention studies for individuals with PPA to date. It will add critical information regarding the effectiveness of telepractice interventions for communication disorders in adults with primary progressive aphasia specifically, and in dementia more broadly. The goal of this study is to maximize functional communication and life participation for the participants.

Conditions

Primary Progressive Aphasia

Study Design

• Allocation Method: NA
• Intervention Model: SINGLE_GROUP
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Communication Bridge™

Participants receive Communication Bridge™, a multi-component, participation-focused, dyadic intervention in which both the person with PPA and their co-enrolled communication partner are intervention recipients. Communication Bridge™ is modelled on the Living with Aphasia: Framework for Outcome Measurement (A-FROM) and the Care Pathway Model that was developed for persons living with primary progressive aphasia. Consistent with participation-focused intervention models personally salient training stimuli are incorporated into all therapy activities in the Experimental arm.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Communication Bridge

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Evidence-based speech language therapy treatment will be compared and contrasted in the two arms of the study.

Interventions

Communication Bridge

Evidence-based speech language therapy treatment will be compared and contrasted in the two arms of the study.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

1. Meets diagnostic criteria for PPA based on neurologist and supporting medical assessments (extracted from medical records)

2. English as primary language used in daily communication activities (by self-report)

3. Adequate hearing (aided or unaided) for communicating with others in a crowded room (by self-report)

4. Adequate vision (aided or unaided) for reading a newspaper, or other functional materials (by self-report)

5. Able to pass technology screening and demonstrates sufficient knowledge for use of video conference and Communication Bridge™ web application use (with or without training)

6. Geriatric Depression Scale score ≤ 9

7. Mild-moderate PPA informed by a structured interview with a speech-language pathologist and a standardized testing battery.

1. 18+ years of age

2. English as primary language used in daily communication activities (by self-report)

3. Adequate hearing (aided or unaided) for communicating with others in a crowded room (by self-report)

4. Able to pass technology screening* and demonstrates sufficient knowledge for use of video conference and Communication Bridge™ web application use (with or without training)

Exclusion Criteria

• A dementia diagnosis other than Primary Progressive Aphasia
• Participation is co-enrolled in an outside speech language therapy program during the study course.
• Communication partners will be excluded if they have a pre-existing communication impairment that would affect study participation (e.g., aphasia, dementia) Medical records will be requested and reviewed to determine eligibility

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 100 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

Western University, Canada

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

National Institute on Aging (NIA)

NIH

Sponsor Role: collaborator

University of Chicago

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Emily Roglaski, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Professor of Neurology

Locations

University of Chicago - American School Building

Chicago, Illinois, United States

Countries

United States

Other Identifiers

7R01AG055425-07

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

View Link

IRB23-1620

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id