Aphasia Physical EXercise Study: Randomized Trial

High-intensity Exercise in Stroke Recovery: Randomized Trial

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the effects of a high-intensity exercise program on recovery in individuals with post-stroke aphasia. The high-intensity exercise program has been specifically designed for individuals with post-stroke aphasia and includes an interval training full-body workout, which can increase cardiovascular fitness, improve muscle strength and motor performance, and maximize cognitive and language gains. The main question this study aims to answer is:

• Does participation in a high-intensity exercise program lead to changes in physical health, language, cognitive, motor recovery, psychological and/or psychosocial domains?

Participants will be randomly assigned to either a high-intensity exercise program (target intervention) or a low-intensity exercise program (control intervention) delivered over 12-weeks in a group setting.

Outcome measures will be collected once immediately after the intervention period and once during the following 12-week maintenance period to capture short- and long-term effects of the exercise program.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Aphasia following ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke
• Aphasia as determined by a standardized language test (Western Aphasia Battery Aphasia Quotient < 93.8 at study intake)
• At least 6 months from the last stroke
• Proficient in English before the stroke
• At least 8 years of education
• Between the ages of 18 and 80
• Independent with ambulation without a device (single-point cane accepted)
• Medically stable with no contraindications to participate in regular physical exercise as determined by the patients' own primary care provider or other treating provider.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Prior history of dementia, neurologic illness (other than stroke), or recent (last 3 years) substance abuse
• Significant visual or hearing disabilities (e.g., neglect, uncorrected visual or hearing loss) that interfere with testing
• Self-report uncontrolled cardiorespiratory and/or metabolic disorders incompatible with exercise