Therapy for Reading Problems in Adults After Brain Injury

Sponsor

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) (NIH)

Overall Status

Completed

CT.gov ID

NCT00064805

Collaborator

(none)

Enrollment

Location

Duration (Months)

Patients Per Site Per Month

Study Details

Study Description

Brief Summary

Adults who sustain brain damage due to stroke, head injury, or traumatic surgery may develop difficulty reading. This study examines the effectiveness of behavior-based programs to improve reading ability in these individuals.

Condition or Disease	Intervention/Treatment	Phase
Dyslexia, Acquired Brain Injuries Cerebrovascular Accident	Behavioral: Cognitive Therapy to Improve Reading	N/A

Detailed Description

Acquired disorders of reading (acquired dyslexia) are common in patients with aphasia subsequent to left hemisphere stroke. Even when language functions recover sufficiently to enable the patient to return to work, continuing dyslexia often interferes significantly with job performance. This study will evaluate cognitive therapies for the treatment of acquired dyslexia.

Each therapy is based upon a cognitive neuropsychological model of reading; the therapies target specific types of reading deficit and stem from the question of re-learning versus re-organization of function. The therapies focus on dyslexic disorders stemming from the following underlying deficits: 1) impaired access to the orthographic word form from the visual modality (pure alexia); 2) impaired orthographic/phonologic connections (phonologic/deep dyslexia); and 3) decreased ability to hold phonologic codes in memory (phonologic text alexia).

Participants in this study will undergo a comprehensive and detailed battery of reading and reading-related tests to determine the underlying impairment causing the reading deficit. Based upon the results of these tests, the patient's dyslexic disorder will be characterized and, if appropriate, the patient will be assigned to one of the treatment programs devised specifically for that type of deficit. Treatment programs are evaluated for efficacy by comparing the accuracy and speed of reading pre- and post-treatment.

Study Design

Study Type:

Interventional

Anticipated Enrollment :

58 participants

Allocation:

Non-Randomized

Intervention Model:

Parallel Assignment

Masking:

None (Open Label)

Primary Purpose:

Treatment

Official Title:

Cognitively-based Treatments of Acquired Dyslexias

Study Start Date :

Aug 1, 2002

Actual Primary Completion Date :

Jul 1, 2007

Actual Study Completion Date :

Jul 1, 2007

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

Improved accuracy and/or speed of reading individual words aloud. []

Secondary Outcome Measures

Improved accuracy and/or speed of reading text aloud. []

Eligibility Criteria

Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study:

18 Years and Older

Sexes Eligible for Study:

All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers:

Inclusion Criteria

Reading deficit subsequent to stroke, traumatic brain injury, brain surgery, or other brain damage
Ability to attend 2-3 sessions per week for several months at Georgetown University in Washington, DC

Exclusion Criteria