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 ante...

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Published in:Brain and language 2005-04, Vol.93 (1), p.95-105
Main Authors: Naeser, Margaret A., Martin, Paula I., Nicholas, Marjorie, Baker, Errol H., Seekins, Heidi, Kobayashi, Masahito, Theoret, Hugo, Fregni, Felipe, Maria-Tormos, Jose, Kurland, Jacquie, Doron, Karl W., Pascual-Leone, Alvaro
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aphasia
Aphasia - physiopathology
Aphasia - rehabilitation
Aphasia - therapy
Biological and medical sciences
Chronic Disease
Electric Stimulation Therapy
Female
Frontal Lobe - physiology
Functional Laterality - physiology
Humans
Magnetics
Male
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Naming
Neuropsychology
Patients
Pattern Recognition, Visual
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Reeducation. Readaptation. Sociotherapy
Semantics
Stroke rehabilitation
TMS
Treatment Outcome
Treatments
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Summary: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.
ISSN:0093-934X
1090-2155
DOI:10.1016/j.bandl.2004.08.004