The present study assesses whether language functions in patients with residual post-stroke aphasia can be improved by transcranial direct current stimulation administered to the primary motor cortex in the language dominant (left) hemisphere.
Patients will participate in two tDCS sessions (atDCS; sham) in a cross-over within subjects design. tDCS or placebo will be administered during simulatneous fMRI to assess neural signatures of the stimulation. Order of stimulation will be counterbalanced between subjects
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
TRIPLE
Enrollment
16
atDCS will be delivered with a constant current of 1 mA during simultaneous resting-state (RS) and task-related (picture naming) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The current will be turned on prior to the RS-fMRI scan and continues for 20 minutes.
During sham the current will be increeased and decreased in a ramp-like fashion (10 sec)
Charite, University Medicine, Dept. of Neurology
Berlin, State of Berlin, Germany
RECRUITINGResponse latency during picture naming task (max. 80)
Subjects are assessed in a cross-over design. The primary outcome measure will be assessed twice in each subject, either during placebo ("sham) stimulation or active (anodal) stimulation with transcranial direct current stimulation. Order of stimulation will be counterbalanced across the group.
Time frame: Change in response latency between assessment 1 (week 1) and assessment 2 (week 2), assessments 1 and 2 are seperated by one week
Change in neural activity measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging
Time frame: Change in fMRI activity between Assessment 1 (week 1) and Assessment 2 (week 2), assessments 1 and 2 are seperated by one week
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