Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Post-stroke Aphasia

Overview

This study aims to determine whether transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) paired with speech-language therapy is more beneficial than speech-language therapy alone in acute and chronic post-stroke aphasia.

This study aims to determine whether behavioral word-retrieval therapy coupled with anodal tDCS will improve the fluency and name retrieval performance of participants with post-stroke aphasia more efficiently and for greater duration than language therapy alone (i.e. in the sham condition). tDCS neuronal targets will be selected in this order: 1. left posterior superior-middle temporal gyrus (an area critical for word retrieval and word comprehension), 2. left posterior frontal areas found to be responsible for lexical selection if the first area is infarcted, or 3. right cerebellum (important for learning, and consistently activated in naming task) if both of the other areas are infarcted. The same areas will be stimulated during the first tDCS and sham periods. If the participant returns for a second period of tDCS and sham with language therapy, the right cerebellum will be stimulated (if it was the only uninfarcted target area investigators will stimulate this area again). For cerebellar stimulation, either anodal or cathodal will be used as studies show that anodal or cathodal stimulation has an effect on cognitive functions.

Conditions

Interventions

Eligibility

Locations (1)

Outcomes