Dopaminergic Enhancement of Learning and Memory in Aphasia

• Status: Completed
• Trial end date: 2008-12-01
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: All

Summary

The purpose of this study is to determine whether levodopa, in combination with a high frequency language training, is effective in boosting naming performance in patients with aphasia.

• Phase: Phase 4
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Details

• Lead Sponsor: University Hospital Muenster
• Collaborator: German Federal Ministry of Education and Research
• Treatments: Dopamine; Dopamine Agents; Dopamine Agonists; Levodopa

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria for patients with aphasia:

• Unilateral cerebrovascular accident (stroke) in the territory of the arteria media

• Time post onset: > 6 months

• Aphasia with anomia

• Age between 18-75 years

• Premorbid right-handedness

• Primary language: German

Exclusion Criteria for patients and healthy controls:

• Known allergy to levodopa or tartrazine

• History of medication/drug abuse

• Acute nicotine withdrawal or > 15 cigarettes per day

• > 6 cups/glasses of coffee, caffeine drinks or energy drinks per day

• > 50 grams of alcohol per day

• Severe hypertonia (systole >180 mm Hg)

• Severe arteriosclerosis

• Diabetes, asthma, or glaucoma

• Severe hearing disability

• Evidence for severe hippocampal damage

• Premorbid depression or psychosis

• Medication with dopamine agonists or antagonists

• Parkinsonian symptoms

• Changes in anticonvulsive medication during the week prior to study enrollment