# Establishing Evidence-based Treatment for Speech and Language in Primary Progressive Aphasia

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN · 2020 · $650,149

## Abstract

Project Summary
Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is a progressive neurological disorder that causes a gradual decline in
communication ability as a result of selective neurodegeneration of speech and language networks in the
brain. PPA is a devastating condition affecting adults as young as their 50’s, depriving them of the ability to
communicate and function in society. There has been significant progress in discovering the neurobiological
mechanisms that underlie PPA and in identifying its clinical phenotypes. With these advances, we are poised
to investigate behavioral treatments that are grounded in modern cognitive and neuroanatomical concepts.
Research documenting the efficacy of speech-language treatment for PPA is emerging, but limited. Systematic
research is needed to establish best clinical practices in this unique patient population for whom
pharmacological treatment remains elusive. The long-term objectives of this project are to provide evidence-
based treatment methods addressing the speech and language deficits in PPA and to determine the neural
predictors of responsiveness to intervention. The study has three main goals that build on the findings of our
previous work: 1) to examine the utility of treatments designed to facilitate significant, generalized and lasting
improvement of speech-language function in PPA, 2) to determine whether treatment alters the trajectory of
decline in PPA by comparing performance on primary outcome measures in treated versus untreated
participants after a one-year interval, and 3) to identify imaging predictors (gray matter, white matter, and
functional connectivity measures) of responsiveness to behavioral intervention in individuals with PPA. In order
to accomplish these aims, we will enroll 60 individuals with PPA, who will undergo a comprehensive
multidisciplinary evaluation and neuroimaging. Subsequently, participants will be enrolled in treatment
designed to promote lasting and generalized improvement of communicative function in core speech-language
domains. Participants will be followed for up to one year post-treatment in order to determine long-term effects
of rehabilitation, and their performance will be compared with a historical cohort of untreated PPA patients.
This ambitious study and the necessary recruitment will be possible due to an ongoing collaboration with the
UCSF Memory and Aging Center, a leading institution in the field of PPA research. The study will broaden the
evidence base supporting the efficacy of speech-language intervention in PPA and will provide novel evidence
regarding neural predictors of treatment outcomes, with the potential to inform clinical decision-making and
improve clinical care for individuals with this debilitating disorder.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9960508
- **Project number:** 5R01DC016291-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN
- **Principal Investigator:** Maya Henry
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $650,149
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-07-01 → 2022-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9960508

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9960508, Establishing Evidence-based Treatment for Speech and Language in Primary Progressive Aphasia (5R01DC016291-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9960508. Licensed CC0.

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