CClinicalTrials.gg
CompletedNCT02875938EMRA1Updated Sep 20, 2019

Effect of Music on Reading Comprehension for Patients With Aphasia

An interventional study of Simultaneous music and reading lyrics and Priming with music in Aphasia, sponsored by Carilion Clinic. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2019-09-20.

Sponsored by Carilion Clinic · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
1
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

This investigation uses a single-subject, adapted alternating research design to compare two different experimental conditions using music with lyrics combined with visual stimulation of the written lyrics, to extend the emotional word effect to phrases, in order to stimulate reading comprehension of the trained material for patients with aphasia. The two music conditions include 1) music with sung lyrics simultaneously with silent reading of the written lyrics; and 2) music with sung lyrics, followed by silent reading of the written lyrics (i.e. priming with the music). A control set without music will be used additionally within every third session to detect potential history and maturation effects. All conditions will be followed by a silent reading phrase-completion task composed of written words from the total combined sets of stimuli.

Read the detailed description

The purpose of this investigation is to examine the evidence on emotion, language, and music, and propose a first step, in the form of a single-subject research design, to determine the most effective and efficient method for application to the rehabilitation of patients with aphasia. A single-subject adapted alternating treatment design will be used to compare two music conditions, using music with sung lyrics simultaneously with silent reading of the lyrics, and priming with music and sung lyrics followed by reading of the lyrics, with a control condition using reading materials without music. Risks are expected to be minimal. The risk is confidentiality. Risk management procedures in this study include: assuring confidentiality of participants, assuring qualified personnel, assuring convenient location, ensuring adequate enrollment, continual monitoring, addressing potential conflicts of interest, and making a plan to manage problems. Continual monitoring will be used to assess whether study interventions appear to be interfering with normal speech therapy treatment. If the researcher sees any signs of interference, the subject will be withdrawn from the research and study interventions will be stopped.

02

Conditions studied

  • Aphasia

Browse trials for

Keywords

  • left middle cerebral artery
  • cerebrovascular accident (CVA)
  • stroke
03

In context

Aphasia

365 studies on the registry are indexed under Aphasia; 89 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 1 is below the median of 30 across 316 interventional studies indexed under Aphasia.

Browse Aphasia studies →

Lead sponsor

Carilion Clinic is the lead sponsor of 71 studies on the registry; 13 are open to participants now.

Of its 9 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 2 (22%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  • Post-hospitalization;
  • premorbid reading at the 8th grade level or higher based on the participant's/family's stated years of formal education;
  • post-stroke aphasia/left middle cerebral artery (MCA) CVA based on electronic medical record (EMR) and computed tomography (CT)/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) imaging reports, or consult with the neurologist;
  • intact left amygdala and left extrastriate cortex based on EMR and CT/MRI imaging reports, or consult with the neurologist;
  • reliability in answering yes/no questions as determined by a 90% score on yes/no comprehension therapy tasks during regular speech therapy.

Capacity to provide informed consent concerning a study involving an intervention with music therapy: determined by the physician who refers the patient.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Co-morbidities diagnosed and reported in the EMR or shown on CT scan or MRI including past history of stroke with residual symptoms, dementia, Parkinson's disease, head injury, etc.;
  • hemianopsia or other visual field defects affecting vision for reading, and in particular right homonymous hemi- or inferior quadrantanopsia;
  • previous history of learning disabilities in reading/writing;
  • significant psychiatric diagnosis;
  • English as a Second Language or non-English language.
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
1 participant (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Music and reading lyrics

    A single-subject adapted alternating treatment design will be used to compare two music conditions, using music with sung lyrics simultaneously with silent reading of the lyrics, and priming with music and sung lyrics followed by reading of the lyrics, with a control condition using reading materials without music.

    Behavioral: Simultaneous music and reading lyrics · Behavioral: Priming with music · Behavioral: Control

Interventions

  • BehavioralSimultaneous music and reading lyrics

    music with sung lyrics simultaneously with silent reading of the lyrics.

  • BehavioralPriming with music

    priming with music and sung lyrics followed by reading of the lyrics.

  • BehavioralControl

    control condition using reading materials without music.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Percent correct responses per day on phrase completion task.

    Differential response to the interventions (counted as the percent correct responses per day.

    Time frame: through study completion, an average of 1 year

  2. Number of sessions required to achieve mastery.

    count number of sessions.

    Time frame: through study completion, an average of 1 year

  3. Retention of the reading material

    Number of items recalled.

    Time frame: 3 weeks post-intervention.

Secondary outcomes

  1. International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) Body Functions/Structures, Activities, and Participation

    Pretest/post-test information on the ICF Body Functions/Structures, Activities, and Participation (Hurkmans et al. 2011).

    Time frame: through study completion, an average of 1 year

  2. Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination-Third Edition (BDAE-3)

    The Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination-Third Edition (BDAE-3) (Goodglass, Harold, \& Barresi, Austin: PRO-Ed.): Pretest reading scores on the BDAE full version subtests, i.e. B. Word Identification: 1. Word-Picture Match, and 2. Lexical Decision; C. 1. Homophone Matching; D. Derivational and Grammatical Morphology: 1. Matching to spoken sample; E. Oral Reading: 1. Basic oral word reading; F. Oral Reading of Sentences with Comprehension; and G. Reading Comprehension-Sentences and Paragraphs; will be completed prior to baseline A and initiating intervention, and immediately following completion of intervention to assess generalization to non-trained stimuli.

    Time frame: through study completion, an average of 1 year

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Carilion Franklin Memorial Hospital
    Rocky Mount, Virginia 24151, United States
08

References and documents

Study documents

  • Protocol and statistical analysis plan · Apr 28, 2016

Documents are hosted by the registry — open the source record to download them.

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Sep 20, 2019, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT02875938
Lead sponsor
Carilion Clinic
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Aug 23, 2016
Start date
Jul 2016
Primary completion
Jul 2017
Completion
Aug 2017
Last update
Sep 20, 2019

Study contacts

Jacqueline A. Treichler, MS, CCC-SLP
principal investigator · Carilion Clinic

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in Sep 2019. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

Follow this study

Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.

Sign in to follow

Discussion

Questions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.

Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.

Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.

Start the discussion