Research Institute, Casa Colina Hospital and Centers for Healthcare, Pomona, CA, USA.
Psychology Department, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Brain Lang. 2024 Oct;257:105459. doi: 10.1016/j.bandl.2024.105459. Epub 2024 Sep 5.
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) targeting Broca's area has shown promise for augmenting language production in post-stroke aphasia (PSA). However, previous research has been limited by small sample sizes and inconsistent outcomes. This study employed a double-blind, parallel, randomized, controlled design to evaluate the efficacy of anodal Broca's tDCS, paired with 20-minute speech and language therapy (SLT) focused primarily on expressive language, across 5 daily sessions in 45 chronic PSA patients. Utilizing the Western Aphasia Battery-Revised, which assesses a spectrum of linguistic abilities, we measured changes in both expressive and receptive language skills before and after intervention. The tDCS group demonstrated significant improvements over sham in aphasia quotient, auditory verbal comprehension, and spontaneous speech. Notably, tDCS improved both expressive and receptive domains, whereas sham only benefited expression. These results underscore the broader linguistic benefits of Broca's area stimulation and support the integration of tDCS with SLT to advance aphasia rehabilitation.
经颅直流电刺激（tDCS）靶向布罗卡区已显示出在改善卒中后失语症（PSA）患者语言产出方面的潜力。然而，先前的研究受到样本量小和结果不一致的限制。本研究采用了双盲、平行、随机、对照设计，评估了经颅直流电刺激布罗卡区正极性刺激，联合以表达性语言为主要目标的 20 分钟言语和语言治疗（SLT），在 45 例慢性 PSA 患者中进行 5 天每日 1 次的治疗。我们使用了评估多种语言能力的 Western Aphasia Battery-Revised，在干预前后测量了表达和接受语言技能的变化。tDCS 组在失语症商数、听觉言语理解和自发言语方面的改善明显优于假刺激组。值得注意的是，tDCS 不仅改善了表达能力，还改善了接受能力，而假刺激仅对表达有获益。这些结果强调了布罗卡区刺激的更广泛的语言益处，并支持将 tDCS 与 SLT 结合以推进失语症康复。
