Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) on Brain Organization and Naming in Aphasic Patients.
Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) on Brain Organization and Naming
Adrian Guggisberg
14 participants
Oct 24, 2022
INTERVENTIONAL
Conditions
Summary
High-Definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (HD-tDCS) allows to induce, in a non-invasive way, a transient inhibitory or excitatory neuromodulation of a given cerebral region and to obtain a very focused cortical effect. Previous studies using HD-tDCS have shown the effectiveness of this stimulation technique for enhancing language recovery in patients with aphasia. However, language processes are not determined solely by local neural activity at a single site, but rather by the interaction between neural networks. This is because a large cortical network is involved in language processes and, therefore, the same language disorder may result from lesions at different locations in this network. The investigators hypothesize that anodal HD-tDCS will enhance neural interactions between language areas and, thereby, improve language processing and word learning. The investigators propose to carry out a study on chronic aphasic patients involving HD-tDCS of the Broca region (left inferior frontal gyrus) combined with a verb learning task.
Eligibility
Inclusion Criteria6
- Ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke
- Presence of aphasia with difficulty finding words and/or naming objects/pictures
- ≥12 months post-stroke
- ≥ 18 years of age
- French-speaking
- Able to participate in 30-60 min therapeutic sessions (good concentration and understanding of the task and ability to follow instructions
Exclusion Criteria5
- Patients unable to understand the given information on the study and its objectives, or instructions for tasks performed.
- Impaired alertness or delirium
- Severe co-morbidity affecting speech
- Contraindication to tDCS: pregnant women, patients with active implants such as pacemakers or cochlear implants, patients with one or more seizures, metal objects in the brain
- Occurrence of a new stroke during the study protocol.
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Interventions
The anode electrode will be placed over Broca's area, 4 cathode electrodes will be placed at about 2 cm distance each from the anode in 4 directions.
Locations(1)
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NCT05570578