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TMS for the Treatment of Primary Progressive Aphasia
NCT04188067 · View on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
Study Summary
Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA) is a progressive syndrome in the family of Alzheimer's disease and related disorders involving devastating language impairments caused by selective neurodegeneration of the brain's language network. Unfortunately, there is no treatment for PPA. An exciting possibility for treatment is non-invasive repetitive transcranial brain stimulation (rTMS), which induces electric currents in degenerating brain networks, making them in some cases more efficient. Therapeutic benefits from rTMS have been demonstrated when it is applied in many sequential sessions. For example, repeated sessions of rTMS to left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) is approved by the US Food and Drug administration as a treatment for major depressive disorder. With respect to language, high frequency rTMS increases the response rate for picture naming in healthy individuals and in patients with Alzheimer's disease. Further, in a sham controlled study, Cotelli and colleagues demonstrated that in a group of 10 non-fluent PPA patients, high frequency rTMS over the left and right dlPFC improved the percent of correct responses for action naming. When rTMS was applied for five consecutive days in a sham controlled single case study, Finocchiaro and colleagues showed lasting improvements in language (up to 1 week) in a patient with non-fluent PPA. Trebbastoni and colleagues further showed the same lasting improvements in language (up to 1 week) in a patient with logopenic PPA. Recently, in a sham controlled single case study, Bereau and colleagues applied a more intense rTMS protocol for ten consecutive days and demonstrated significant linguistic improvements in a logopenic PPA patient that lasted for 1 month. These studies have contributed valuable insights into the potential use of rTMS in treating the language symptoms of PPA patients.
Conditions Studied
Interventions
- DEVICE Active rTMS
- DEVICE SHAM rTMS
Study Locations (1)
Massachusetts
- Massachusetts General Hospital — Boston
Trial Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Enrollment Target | 10 participants |
| Start Date | 2022-03-01 |
| Est. Completion | 2024-08-25 |
| Phase | NA |
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Full Details on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗What the Registry Record Tells You About NCT04188067
The ClinicalTrials.gov registry entry for NCT04188067 describes a study currently listed as completed. It is categorized as NA, which is the standard way researchers label where a study sits along the investigational pathway from early safety work through later efficacy and post-marketing evaluation. The registered enrollment target is 10 participants, a figure that helps gauge the scale of data the investigators plan to collect. The listed sponsor is Massachusetts General Hospital, which has 1,948 total studies on file at ClinicalTrials.gov, and sponsors are the parties responsible for study design, oversight, and regulatory filings.
The record links to 3 conditions, with Logopenic Variant Primary Progressive Aphasia appearing as the primary indexed condition, and to 2 interventions — of which Active rTMS is the first listed. Interventions can include drugs, devices, procedures, behavioral programs, or observational arms, and each is tracked as a separate registry field so that downstream queries can filter accurately. When a trial lists multiple interventions, it usually reflects a multi-arm design or a comparison protocol rather than a single treatment being tested in isolation. The brief summary published in the registry is the clearest source of protocol intent and should be read before drawing conclusions from any sidebar tags.
Geographic footprint matters for practical reasons: NCT04188067 reports 1 study location spanning 1 distinct geographic area — top geographies include Massachusetts. A larger site network tends to correlate with broader recruitment capacity, but it does not imply anything about study quality, and site-level enrollment status can diverge from the overall registry status shown above. Every data point on this page comes from the public ClinicalTrials.gov dataset and is reproduced here for reference only; it is not a medical recommendation, an endorsement of the sponsor, or an invitation to enroll. Verify current status, eligibility criteria, and contact details directly at ClinicalTrials.gov, and discuss any participation decision with your own healthcare provider.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is clinical trial NCT04188067 about?
NCT04188067 is a clinical study titled "TMS for the Treatment of Primary Progressive Aphasia". Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA) is a progressive syndrome in the family of Alzheimer's disease and related disorders involving devastating language impairments caused by selective neurodegeneration of the brain's language network. Unfortunately, there is no treatment for PPA. An exciting possibili...
What is the current status of trial NCT04188067?
This trial is currently completed. It is a NA study. The enrollment target is 10 participants. The study started on 2022-03-01. Estimated completion is 2024-08-25.
What conditions does trial NCT04188067 study?
This clinical trial studies the following conditions: Logopenic Variant Primary Progressive Aphasia, Non-fluent Variant Primary Progressive Aphasia, Semantic Variant Primary Progressive Aphasia. These conditions were identified from the trial registry and reflect the primary focus areas of the research.
What interventions are being tested in trial NCT04188067?
The interventions under investigation include: Active rTMS (DEVICE), SHAM rTMS (DEVICE). Each intervention is being evaluated for safety and efficacy as part of this clinical study.
Who is sponsoring clinical trial NCT04188067?
This trial is sponsored by Massachusetts General Hospital, which has 1,948 total clinical trials registered on ClinicalTrials.gov. The sponsor is responsible for the study's design, funding, and regulatory compliance.
Where is trial NCT04188067 being conducted?
This trial has 1 study location across Massachusetts. Contact the study sites directly through ClinicalTrials.gov for enrollment availability.
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