Improved picture naming in chronic aphasia after TMS to part of right Broca's area: an open-protocol study.
Functional imaging studies with nonfluent aphasia patients have observed "over-activation" in right (R) language homologues. This may represent a maladaptive strategy; suppression may result in language improvement. We applied slow, 1 Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to an anterior portion of R Broca's homologue daily, for 10 days in four aphasia patients who were 5-11 years poststroke. Significant improvement was observed in picture naming at 2 months post-rTMS, with lasting benefit at 8 months in three patients. This preliminary, open trial suggests that rTMS may provide a novel treatment approach for aphasia by possibly modulating the distributed, bi-hemispheric language network.
Naeser
Margaret A
MA
Department of Neurology, Harold Goodglass Boston University Aphasia Research Center, Boston University School of Medicine and the Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA 02130, USA. mnaeser@bu.edu
Martin
Paula I
PI
Nicholas
Marjorie
M
Baker
Errol H
EH
Seekins
Heidi
H
Kobayashi
Masahito
M
Theoret
Hugo
H
Fregni
Felipe
F
Maria-Tormos
Jose
J
Kurland
Jacquie
J
Doron
Karl W
KW
Pascual-Leone
Alvaro
A
D001037:Aphasia / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation* / Q000628:therapy; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004599:Electric Stimulation Therapy; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000502:physiology*; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008280:Magnetics; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual; D012660:Semantics; D016896:Treatment Outcome