RESUMEN
Objective To investigate the rehabilitative effect of low frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on convalescing patients with Broca's aphasia. MethodsTwenty-eight patients with Broca's aphasia recovering from cerebral infarction were randomly divided into a stimulation group and a control group with 14 subjects in each.Patients in the control group accepted conventional drugs,speech rehabilitation and sham stimulation,while patients in the stimulation group were in given low frequency rTMS in place of the sham stimulation.Their speech performance was evaluated using the China Rehabilitation Research Center's aphasia examination (CRRCAE) pre-stimulation,post-stimulation and 90 days later. ResultsCompared with before treatment and with the controls,the speaking scores of the stimulation group increased significantly after treatment and also 90 days later. ConclusionLow frequency rTMS can not only improve the speech performance of Broca's aphasia sufferers in the short term,but it also plays a lasting role.It may thus have clinical application for patients with Broca's aphasia.