title: Transcranial brain stimulation to treat aphasia: a clinical perspective.
abstract: Transcranial brain stimulation was first introduced and described during mid-1900s. Since that time, the literature on brain stimulation has expanded with spurious advances in techniques and applications, from its use as a purely investigative tool used to better understand brain mechanisms to its use as a clinical treatment for neurologic diseases. This article offers a brief overview of the development, history, and mechanisms of transcranial brain stimulation, as well as an in-depth discussion of transcranial magnetic stimulation and transcranial direct current stimulation; two methods currently being investigated as treatments for aphasia. Our aim is to provide speech-language pathologists with an overview of the current state of literature on transcranial brain stimulation, as initial findings show it may be a promising new tool for aphasia rehabilitation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina 29208, USA. jfridrik@sc.edu
authors.forename: Julius
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fridriksson
authors.forename: H Isabel
authors.initials: HI
authors.lastname: Hubbard
authors.forename: Sarah Grace
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Hudspeth
mesh_terms: D001037:Aphasia / Q000628:therapy*; D004599:Electric Stimulation Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D020521:Stroke / Q000628:therapy*; D050781:Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation / Q000379:methods*