# Electrical Field Guided TMS and Constraint Induced Language Therapy to TreatPost-Stroke Aphasia in the Subacute Stage

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · 2024 · $687,674

## Abstract

Project Summary
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), sometimes in conjunction with Speech-Language Therapy, has been
demonstrated to improve language function in subjects with chronic aphasia in a number of small studies.
Several lines of evidence suggest that it is more effective when provided in the subacute stage after stroke but
its efficacy in this setting has not been adequately assessed. We propose to study the effects of continuous
Theta Burst Stimulation (a type of TMS) combined with a modified form of Constraint Induced Language
Therapy (mCILT) in 63 subjects with subacute aphasia. Subjects will be randomized in a 2:1 ratio to cTBS with
mCILT or sham cTBS with mCILT. After pre-treatment evaluation, subjects will receive 10 days of treatment;
post-treatment evaluations will be performed 3-5 days and again at 4 months after the completion of treatment.
We will use electrical field modelling to personalize stimulation intensity for each subject. Change from
baseline in the Western Aphasia Battery-Revised Aphasia Quotient at 4 months after the end of treatment will
serve as the primary outcome measure. A secondary aim is to identify anatomic and behavioral predictors of
response to treatment. Finally, a third aim is to identify the mechanism underlying the beneficial effect of the
treatment on brain organization using network neuroscience approaches. We will identify changes in the
strengths of connections between nodes in the language network to address specific hypotheses regarding the
effects of cTBS and mCILT on brain organization that are associated with beneficial response to treatment.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10803640
- **Project number:** 1R01DC021060-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
- **Principal Investigator:** H BRANCH COSLETT
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $687,674
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-08-07 → 2029-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10803640

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10803640, Electrical Field Guided TMS and Constraint Induced Language Therapy to TreatPost-Stroke Aphasia in the Subacute Stage (1R01DC021060-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-12 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10803640. Licensed CC0.

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