Transcranial magnetic stimulation and aphasia rehabilitation.
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has been reported to improve naming in chronic stroke patients with nonfluent aphasia since 2005. In part 1, we review the rationale for applying slow, 1-Hz, rTMS to the undamaged right hemisphere in chronic nonfluent aphasia patients after a left hemisphere stroke; and we present a transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) protocol used with these patients that is associated with long-term, improved naming post-TMS. In part 2, we present results from a case study with chronic nonfluent aphasia where TMS treatments were followed immediately by speech therapy (constraint-induced language therapy). In part 3, some possible mechanisms associated with improvement after a series of TMS treatments in stroke patients with aphasia are discussed.
Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System and Harold Goodglass Boston University Aphasia Research Center, Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA. mnaeser@bu.edu
Margaret A
MA
Naeser
Paula I
PI
Martin
Michael
M
Ho
Ethan
E
Treglia
Elina
E
Kaplan
Shahid
S
Bashir
Alvaro
A
Pascual-Leone
D000208:Acute Disease; D001037:Aphasia / Q000209:etiology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology; D002908:Chronic Disease; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D006801:Humans; D013060:Speech; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D050781:Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation / Q000379:methods*