Improved picture naming in chronic aphasia after TMS to part of right Broca's area: an open-protocol study.

Abstract

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.

• Authors: Margaret A Naeser, Paula I Martin, Marjorie Nicholas, Errol H Baker, Heidi Seekins, Masahito Kobayashi, Hugo Theoret, Felipe Fregni, Jose Maria-Tormos, Jacquie Kurland, Karl W Doron, Alvaro Pascual-Leone
• Journal: Brain and language (Brain Lang) Vol. 93 Issue 1 Pg. 95-105 (Apr 2005) ISSN: 0093-934X [Print] Netherlands
• PMID: 15766771 (Publication Type: Clinical Trial, Journal Article, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S., Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.)

Topics

• Aphasia (physiopathology, rehabilitation, therapy)
• Chronic Disease
• Electric Stimulation Therapy
• Female
• Frontal Lobe (physiology)
• Functional Laterality (physiology)
• Humans
• Magnetics
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Pattern Recognition, Visual
• Semantics
• Treatment Outcome