AphasiaNCT07455162
Effects of Gesture Plus Verbal Treatment (GVT) in Cantonese Speakers With Aphasia
A study testing Verbal treatment and Gesture plus verbal treatment in people with Aphasia and Gestures, run by Hong Kong University at 1 site in Hong Kong.
Trial summary
This research aims to explore the relative efficacy of Verbal-only and GVT on naming difficulty in Cantonese-speaking people with aphasia (PWA). The primary research question in this study is: "For Cantonese-speaking people with aphasia, what are the relative effects of verbal treatment compared to gesture plus verbal… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- What is being tested?
- Verbal treatment and Gesture plus verbal treatment
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 90 participants
- Where
- 1 siteHong Kong
- Study dates
- 1 Apr 2025to Sep 2028
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Diagnosed with aphasia
- Demonstrate Word finding Difficulty (WFD)
- Able to repeat single words
- Normal (or corrected) vision and hearing
- Aphasia resulting from a unilateral left hemisphere stroke
- Premorbidly fluent in spoken Cantonese
- Without significant cognitive impairments
- Chronic aphasia resulting from a unilateral left hemisphere stroke
Who cannot join
- A history of other neurological disorders
- With the above moderate to severe or severe motor speech impairment
- With moderate to severe apraxia of speech
- With very mild or very severe aphasia
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
Hong Kong1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
The University of Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Annie Zhiyao Hu, 852-6068-8312, annie920@connect.hku.hk
About this study
Official title: Contrasting Effects of Verbal Treatment and Gesture Plus Verbal Treatment for Word Retrieval in Cantonese Speakers With Aphasia
This research aims to explore the relative efficacy of Verbal-only and GVT on naming difficulty in Cantonese-speaking people with aphasia (PWA).
The primary research question in this study is: "For Cantonese-speaking people with aphasia, what are the relative effects of verbal treatment compared to gesture plus verbal treatment (GVT) on verbal and gesture naming at different levels?"
People with aphasia will be engaged in a repeated measures experimental design. Participants will be engaged in two phases of training. In the first phase, participants will be assigned to receive verbal-only treatment. To minimize and prevent the carry-over effects caused by the first intervention, a one-month washout period will be implemented before the start of the second phase. After a washout period, participants will switch to GVT in the second phase.
- Being tested
- Verbal treatment, Gesture plus verbal treatment
- Keywords
- Aphasia, Gesture, Rehabilitation
- Medical subject headings
- Aphasia, Gestures
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Verbal treatmentBehavioural
This study will involve the following naming interventions: 1) Semantic Features Analysis, 2) Modified Ortho-phonological cueing therapy and Phonological Component Analysis, and 3) Repetition with Cueing Hierarchy.
Gesture plus verbal treatmentBehavioural
This study will involve the following interventions:
- Combined Semantic and Gesture treatment, 2) Combined Phonological and Gesture treatment, and 3) Combined Repetition and Gesture treatment.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Verbal-only | Active comparator | This is a within-subject comparison study where each participant receives both interventions sequentially. During the first phase, participants receive verbal-only therapy (VT). In the subsequent phase, they receive Gesture verbal treatment (GVT). The order of interventions is fixed, and each participant acts as their own control to compare the effects of the two interventions. Receives: Behavioral: Verbal treatment |
| Gesture plus Verbal | Active comparator | This is a within-subject comparison study where each participant receives both interventions sequentially. During the first phase, participants receive verbal-only therapy (VT). In the subsequent phase, they receive Gesture verbal treatment (GVT). The order of interventions is fixed, and each participant acts as their own control to compare the effects of the two interventions. Receives: Behavioral: Gesture plus verbal treatment |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Changes in the scores of the Naming Probes
The treatment effects on naming will be assessed through verbal naming and gesture production using the black and white drawing naming task. Responses will be counted as correct if they can be identified by the rater as the target word in verbal naming and convey the depicted concept through gesture production, even if the articulation or hand and arm movements are slightly distorted.
Measured: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 4 weeks
Secondary outcomes (5)
Changes in the scores of the Cantonese Aphasia Battery
The Cantonese Aphasia Battery was conducted to evaluate improvements in various linguistic measures (e.g., question comprehension, step commands, repetition, etc.). The minimum and maximum values are 0 and 100, respectively, with higher scores indicating a better outcome.
Measured: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 4 weeks
Changes in the scores of the Comprehensive Aphasia Test
The Comprehensive Aphasia Test will be conducted to evaluate improvements in various cognitive and linguistic measures (e.g., semantic memory, word fluency, auditory comprehension, etc.). There are different subtests in the assessment, with a minimum value of 0, and maximum values ranging from 70 to 130, with higher scores indicating a better outcome.
Measured: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 4 weeks
Changes in the scores of the Cantonese Boston Naming Test
The Cantonese Boston Naming Test will be conducted to evaluate the generalization effects on naming ability. The minimum and maximum values are 0 and 30, respectively, with higher scores indicating a better outcome.
Measured: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 4 weeks
Changes in the number of main concepts and gestures in discourse production tasks
Discourse samples were collected from participants through various monologues. The discourse elicitation tasks included Main concept analysis, procedural (Ham and Egg Sandwich), narrative (Telling of the story "Tortoise and Hare"), and personal narrative (Sharing of an important event). This will help in assessing their word retrieval abilities at both the sentence and discourse levels, and their verbal and non-verbal communication skills in realistic contexts. Regarding discourse assessment, all samples will be video recorded using a camera. After that, the samples will undergo discourse analysis based on Chinese Linguistics Communication Measures, where conversational speech will be transcribed, and the linguistic index will be calculated and compared. Finally, the number of various types of gestures will also be computed and compared.
Measured: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 4 weeks
Changes in the scores of the Functional Communication questionnaire
Improvements in functional communication will be evaluated using the Functional Assessment of Communication Skills questionnaire. There are different subtests in the assessment, with minimum values of 0, and maximum values ranging from 35 to 147, with higher scores indicating a better outcome.
Measured: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 4 weeks
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted6 Mar 2026
- Study start1 Apr 2025
- Primary completionSep 2028 (estimated)
- Study completionSep 2028 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (7)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for AphasiaStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Non-randomised
- Intervention model
- Sequential
- Model description
- Participants will be engaged in two phases of training. In the first phase, participants will be assigned to receive verbal-only treatment. To minimize and prevent the carry-over effects caused by the first intervention, a one-month washout period will be implemented before the start of the second phase. After a washout period, participants will switch to GVT in the second phase.
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 90 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Hong Kong University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Annie Zhiyao Hu, Hong Kong University
- Investigators
- Anthony Pak Hin Professor Kong, Study chair, The University of Hong Kong
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07455162
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- EA240609
- Status last verified
- Feb 2026
- First submitted
- 24 Feb 2026
- Last updated
- 11 Mar 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No: According to the consent form approved by HREC, any information obtained in this study will remain strictly confidential (except as required by relevant legal authorities), and will be used for research purposes and clinical education use only. Videos, verbatim transcripts, and data will be uploaded to TalkBank Consortium (talkbank.org), allowing authorized researchers and educators from other institutions to view, analyze, and compare the data.
Publications
Yiu, E. M-L. (1992). Linguistic assessment of Chinese-speaking aphasics: Development of a Cantonese aphasia battery. Journal of Neurolinguistics, 7(4), 379-424. https://doi.org/10.1016/0911-6044(92)90025-R
Lau, S. W. -H. (2001). The Cantonese FACS feasibility with aphasic patients in Hong Kong. Unpublished bachelor dissertation, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Kong, A. P.-H., & Wang, C. (2016). Main concept analysis (MCA) for oral discourse production. In. Hong Kong: The Commercial Press H.K Ltd.
Kong, A. P.-H., & Ng, C. Y.-T. (2022). Psycholinguistic Considerations for Adapting the Cantonese Version of Comprehensive Aphasia Test (Cant-CAT): A Feasibility Study. Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups, 7(4), 1211-1222. https://doi.org/doi:10.1044/2022_PERSP-22-00044
Kong AP, Law SP. A linguistic communication measure for monitoring changes in Chinese aphasic narrative production. Clin Linguist Phon. 2009 Apr;23(4):255-69. doi: 10.1080/02699200802673234.
PubMed 19382013Cheung RW, Cheung MC, Chan AS. Confrontation naming in Chinese patients with left, right or bilateral brain damage. J Int Neuropsychol Soc. 2004 Jan;10(1):46-53. doi: 10.1017/S1355617704101069.
PubMed 14751006Kong, A. P.-H., Hu, A. Z., Wong, C. C.-T., & Wong, C. W.-Y. (2025). Effects of modified word and sentence level gesture plus verbal treatment (GVT) in Cantonese speakers with aphasia. Aphasiology, 1-32. https://doi.org/10.1080/02687038.2025.2540297
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 11 Mar 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Contrasting Effects of Verbal Treatment and Gesture Plus Verbal Treatment for Word Retrieval in Cantonese Speakers With Aphasia
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07455162
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- EA240609
- Keywords
- Aphasia, Gesture, Rehabilitation
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 90 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Hong Kong UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 1 Apr 2025 (actual)
- Primary completion
- Sep 2028 (estimated)
- Study completion
- Sep 2028 (estimated)
- First posted
- 6 Mar 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
This research aims to explore the relative efficacy of Verbal-only and GVT on naming difficulty in Cantonese-speaking people with aphasia (PWA).
The primary research question in this study is: "For Cantonese-speaking people with aphasia, what are the relative effects of verbal treatment compared to gesture plus verbal treatment (GVT) on verbal and gesture naming at different levels?"
People with aphasia will be engaged in a repeated measures experimental design. Participants will be engaged in two phases of training. In the first phase, participants will be assigned to receive verbal-only treatment. To minimize and prevent the carry-over effects caused by the first intervention, a one-month washout period will be implemented before the start of the second phase. After a washout period, participants will switch to GVT in the second phase.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Non-randomised
- Intervention model
- Sequential
- Masking
- Single blind (outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- Participants will be engaged in two phases of training. In the first phase, participants will be assigned to receive verbal-only treatment. To minimize and prevent the carry-over effects caused by the first intervention, a one-month washout period will be implemented before the start of the second phase. After a washout period, participants will switch to GVT in the second phase.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Verbal-only | Active comparator | Behavioral: Verbal treatmentThis is a within-subject comparison study where each participant receives both interventions sequentially. During the first phase, participants receive verbal-only therapy (VT). In the subsequent phase, they receive Gesture verbal treatment (GVT). The order of interventions is fixed, and each participant acts as their own control to compare the effects of the two interventions. |
| Gesture plus Verbal | Active comparator | Behavioral: Gesture plus verbal treatmentThis is a within-subject comparison study where each participant receives both interventions sequentially. During the first phase, participants receive verbal-only therapy (VT). In the subsequent phase, they receive Gesture verbal treatment (GVT). The order of interventions is fixed, and each participant acts as their own control to compare the effects of the two interventions. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (8 listed)
- Diagnosed with aphasia
- Demonstrate Word finding Difficulty (WFD)
- Able to repeat single words
- Normal (or corrected) vision and hearing
- Aphasia resulting from a unilateral left hemisphere stroke
Key exclusion criteria (4 listed)
- A history of other neurological disorders
- With the above moderate to severe or severe motor speech impairment
- With moderate to severe apraxia of speech
- With very mild or very severe aphasia
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Verbal treatmentThis study will involve the following naming interventions: 1) Semantic Features Analysis, 2) Modified Ortho-phonological cueing therapy and Phonological Component Analysis, and 3) Repetition with Cueing Hierarchy. | Behavioural | Verbal-only |
| Gesture plus verbal treatmentThis study will involve the following interventions: 1) Combined Semantic and Gesture treatment, 2) Combined Phonological and Gesture treatment, and 3) Combined Repetition and Gesture treatment. | Behavioural | Gesture plus Verbal |
Primary outcome
Changes in the scores of the Naming Probes
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 4 weeks
The treatment effects on naming will be assessed through verbal naming and gesture production using the black and white drawing naming task. Responses will be counted as correct if they can be identified by the rater as the target word in verbal naming and convey the depicted concept through gesture production, even if the articulation or hand and arm movements are slightly distorted.
5 secondary outcomes
Changes in the scores of the Cantonese Aphasia Battery
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 4 weeks
Changes in the scores of the Comprehensive Aphasia Test
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 4 weeks
Changes in the scores of the Cantonese Boston Naming Test
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 4 weeks
Changes in the number of main concepts and gestures in discourse production tasks
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 4 weeks
Changes in the scores of the Functional Communication questionnaire
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 4 weeks
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 11 Mar 2026.
- BackgroundYiu, E. M-L. (1992). Linguistic assessment of Chinese-speaking aphasics: Development of a Cantonese aphasia battery. Journal of Neurolinguistics, 7(4), 379-424. https://doi.org/10.1016/0911-6044(92)90025-R
- BackgroundLau, S. W. -H. (2001). The Cantonese FACS feasibility with aphasic patients in Hong Kong. Unpublished bachelor dissertation, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
- BackgroundKong, A. P.-H., & Wang, C. (2016). Main concept analysis (MCA) for oral discourse production. In. Hong Kong: The Commercial Press H.K Ltd.
- BackgroundKong, A. P.-H., & Ng, C. Y.-T. (2022). Psycholinguistic Considerations for Adapting the Cantonese Version of Comprehensive Aphasia Test (Cant-CAT): A Feasibility Study. Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups, 7(4), 1211-1222. https://doi.org/doi:10.1044/2022_PERSP-22-00044
- Background: PubMed 19382013Kong AP, Law SP. A linguistic communication measure for monitoring changes in Chinese aphasic narrative production. Clin Linguist Phon. 2009 Apr;23(4):255-69. doi: 10.1080/02699200802673234.
- Background: PubMed 14751006Cheung RW, Cheung MC, Chan AS. Confrontation naming in Chinese patients with left, right or bilateral brain damage. J Int Neuropsychol Soc. 2004 Jan;10(1):46-53. doi: 10.1017/S1355617704101069.
- BackgroundKong, A. P.-H., Hu, A. Z., Wong, C. C.-T., & Wong, C. W.-Y. (2025). Effects of modified word and sentence level gesture plus verbal treatment (GVT) in Cantonese speakers with aphasia. Aphasiology, 1-32. https://doi.org/10.1080/02687038.2025.2540297
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No. According to the consent form approved by HREC, any information obtained in this study will remain strictly confidential (except as required by relevant legal authorities), and will be used for research purposes and clinical education use only. Videos, verbatim transcripts, and data will be uploaded to TalkBank Consortium (talkbank.org), allowing authorized researchers and educators from other institutions to view, analyze, and compare the data.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
Anthony Pak Hin Professor Kong study chair
The University of Hong Kong
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Verbal treatment and Gesture plus verbal treatment in people with Aphasia and Gestures, run by Hong Kong University at 1 site in Hong Kong.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 8 inclusion and 4 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 11 Mar 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Hong Kong. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Annie Zhiyao Hu (852-6068-8312, annie920@connect.hku.hk), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Changes in the scores of the Naming Probes (time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 4 weeks). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT07455162, which also lists 7 linked publications.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 11 Mar 2026.