Using Non-invasive Brain Stimulation to Treat Word Finding Difficulty in Chronic Traumatic Brain Injury
Recruiting now · Not applicable · Has a placebo group
Conditions studied: Traumatic Brain Injury, Word Finding Difficulty, Cognitive Symptom, Cognitive Change, Acquired Brain Injury
In brief
The purpose of this study is to learn more about how brain stimulation affects word finding problems in people who have a traumatic brain injury (TBI). The type of brain stimulation used is called transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). tDCS delivers low levels of electric current to the brain and high definition tDCS (HD-tDCS) delivers the current with multiple electrodes on the scalp. This current is delivered with HD-tDCS to parts of the brain that may help with remembering things. The investigators hope that this can help to improve word finding and memory problems in people with TBI.
Key facts
- Study ID
- NCT06848140
- Run by
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
- People needed
- 24
- Starts
- 2025-10-01
- Expected to finish
- 2028-04-30
- Last updated by the study team
- 2025-10-21
Who can join
Age: 18 and older, up to 85. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.
You may qualify if…
- Age between 18 and 85
- Fluent in speaking and reading English
- Able to provide informed consent
- Has a TBI at least one year prior to enrollment and not related to military experience
- Has a confirmation of verbal retrieval difficulties as measured by the Verbal Retrieval Difficulty Interview questions
You may not qualify if…
- Lifetime major or active neurologic conditions (e.g., stroke, epilepsy, brain tumor, dementia, seizure occurrence less than one year ago)
- Lifetime major or active cardiovascular conditions (e.g., cardiac arrythmia, heart failure, heart attack)
- Current substance use disorder
- Lifetime major psychiatric disorders (e.g., schizophrenia, bipolar disorder)
- Severe depression at the time of enrollment (BDI-II >= 29) or psychiatric ER visits or hospitalization less than 6 months ago prior to enrollment
- Current sensory (e.g., blind, deaf) or physical (e.g., severe motor weakness) impairment that interferes with testing
- Contraindications for tDCS or MRI
- The person cannot be left alone for 8+ hours.
- Not verbally communicative.
- Currently undergoing and not wishing to discontinue speech and cognitive therapy during study participation.
- Incapable of understanding the consent or unable to consent for oneself.
- Unable to travel to BIDMC's Berenson-Allen Center
- Pregnancy
Where it is running
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center — Boston, Massachusetts, United States (enrolling)
Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov
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