ClinicalTrials.gg
RecruitingNCT07331896SOARUpdated May 12, 2026

Strategy Training for Optimizing Attention for Individuals With Spatial Neglect

An interventional study of Strategy Training and Attention Control in Stroke and Neglect, Hemispatial, sponsored by University of Pittsburgh. Recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-05-12.

Sponsored by University of Pittsburgh · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Started Apr 2026; still recruiting 7 months later.
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
45
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

It is common for individuals after stroke to have a cognitive perceptual impairment called unilateral spatial neglect (neglect). Individuals with neglect have difficulty paying attention to one side of their body or one side of the environment and therefore experience difficulty performing daily activities. There are a lack of effective treatments for neglect and new interventions are needed to help reduce disability for these individuals. Metacognitive strategy training (strategy training) is an intervention that has the potential to reduce neglect-related disability and improve individuals' attention and awareness of their neglect. This study seeks to examine the effects of strategy training on neglect, self-awareness, and disability, specifically for individuals who are living in the community after their stroke.

Read the detailed description

Unilateral spatial neglect (neglect) post stroke is characterized by a lack of attention to one side of the body or one side of the environment. Individuals with neglect experience significant disability and are often unaware of their neglect symptoms which can make it even more difficult to treat. There are a lack of effective treatments for neglect and new interventions are needed to help reduce disability for these individuals. Metacognitive strategy training (strategy training) is an intervention that has the potential to reduce neglect-related disability and improve individuals' attention and awareness of their neglect. Strategy training teaches individuals to develop personalized goals, self-assess their performance of daily activities, and develop and evaluate strategies designed to overcome barriers and improve their performance of daily activities. While strategy training shows promise for individuals with neglect, no studies have tailored the intervention for this group of individuals or examined the effects of strategy training for individuals with neglect specifically with individuals living in the community. This study examines whether strategy training facilitates reductions in neglect and disability and improves self-awareness.

02

Conditions studied

  • Stroke
  • Neglect, Hemispatial
03

In context

Stroke

8,255 studies on the registry are indexed under Stroke; 2,056 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 45 is close to the median of 49 across 6,024 interventional studies indexed under Stroke.

Browse Stroke studies →

Lead sponsor

University of Pittsburgh is the lead sponsor of 1,419 studies on the registry; 168 are open to participants now.

Of its 9 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 4 (44%) 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

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • had a stroke
  • presence of neglect as determined by score of \<18 or 2 or more collisions on the Virtual Reality Lateralized Attention Test (VRLAT); score below established cutoff for neglect on one of the six subtests of the Behavioral Inattention Test (BIT); OR reported signs/symptoms of neglect
  • ≥18 years old
  • lives within 30 miles of the University of Pittsburgh in a community dwelling.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination (BDAE) Severity Scale score of 0
  • dementia per medical record
  • active major depressive disorder per medical record
  • not willing to be videotaped
  • subject is currently receiving rehabilitation therapy as part of their usual care
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Single (Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
45 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Strategy Training

    The strategy training intervention teaches individuals to develop personalized goals, self-assess their performance of daily activities, and develop and evaluate strategies designed to overcome barriers and improve their performance of daily activities. Participants use a workbook to support their application of the strategy training.

    Behavioral: Strategy Training

  • Active comparator
    Attention Control

    The attention control intervention controls for the non-specific effects of strategy training. The study team will administer the standardized and dose-matched protocol, using scripted open-ended questions to facilitate participants' reflections on their rehabilitation activities and experiences. Participants complete a daily journal, merely reviewing their rehabilitation activities.

    Behavioral: Attention Control

Interventions

  • BehavioralStrategy Training

    This intervention will use an adapted form of strategy training for people with neglect.

  • BehavioralAttention Control

    This intervention will use a reflective listening protocol.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in attention/neglect

    Change in attention/neglect measured with the Catherine Bergego Scale. Total scores on the Catherine Bergego Scale therapist-rated assessment range from 0-30 (higher=greater neglect). The a priori criterion for change was a medium effect size of change (Cohen's d≥0.5)

    Time frame: Baseline to Post-intervention (up to 60 days)

Secondary outcomes

  1. Client Satisfaction with Strategy Training

    Client satisfaction is measured using the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire-8. The a priori criterion for satisfaction was: ≥90% of participants report mean satisfaction score ≥3 on the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire-8 items. Item scores on the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire-8 range from 0-4. Higher scores on the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire-8=greater satisfaction.

    Time frame: Post-intervention (up to 60 days)

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No — At present, there is no plan to share data.

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on May 12, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07331896
Responsible party
Emily Grattan (Assistant Professor, University of Pittsburgh) — Principal investigator
First posted
Jan 12, 2026
Start date
Apr 6, 2026
Primary completion
Jan 2029 (estimated)
Completion
Jan 2029 (estimated)
Last update
May 12, 2026

Study contacts

Emily Grattan, PhD, OTRlL
Contact
esg39@pitt.edu
412-648-0619
Emily Grattan, PhD, OTR/L
principal investigator · University of Pittsburgh

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Interested in this study?

Eligibility is decided by the study team. Share this record with your doctor or contact the team directly.

Contact study team

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