Effects of transcranial direct current stimulation on the picture naming and phonemic fluency of aphasics / 中华物理医学与康复杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To observe any effect of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on the speed and accuracy of picture naming and on the phonological fluency of aphasic stroke survivors.Methods:Twenty-four stroke survivors with aphasia were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group, each of 12. In addition to language training and picture naming training, the observation group received 20 minutes of tDCS over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) daily, 5 days a week for 2 weeks. The control group was given sham stimulation. Before and after the 2 weeks of treatment, both groups were tested for picture naming and phonological fluency.Results:Significant improvement in the number of accurately pronounced high-frequency words and in reaction time was observed in both groups, but the observation group′s average reaction time for high-frequency words was significantly shorter than the control group′s average. The observation group′s average reaction time for low-frequency words had also improved significantly. After the 2 weeks of treatment, the phonological fluency of the observation group was significantly better than before the treatment and better than that of the control group.Conclusions:tDCS applied over the left DLPFC of stroke survivors with aphasia can promote lexical retrieval and strengthen their executive and control functioning.