Open AccessElectrical brain stimulation in different variants of primary progressive aphasia: A randomized clinical trial
Author(s) -
Tsapkini Kyrana,
Webster Kimberly T.,
Ficek Bronte N.,
Desmond John E.,
Onyike Chiadi U.,
Rapp Brenda,
Frangakis Constantine E.,
Hillis Argye E.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
alzheimer's and dementia: translational research and clinical interventions
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.49
H-Index - 30
ISSN - 2352-8737
DOI - 10.1016/j.trci.2018.08.002
Subject(s) - transcranial direct current stimulation , primary progressive aphasia , randomized controlled trial , spelling , aphasia , crossover study , brain stimulation , medicine , psychology , stimulation , audiology , psychological intervention , physical medicine and rehabilitation , physical therapy , neuroscience , dementia , placebo , surgery , frontotemporal dementia , psychiatry , pathology , linguistics , philosophy , alternative medicine , disease
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been recently shown to improve language outcomes in primary progressive aphasia (PPA) but most studies are small and the influence of PPA variant is unknown. Methods Thirty‐six patients with PPA participated in a randomized, sham‐controlled, double‐blind, within‐subject crossover design for 15 daily sessions of stimulation coupled with written naming/spelling therapy. Outcome measures were letter accuracy of treated and untreated words immediately after and at 2 weeks and 2 months posttreatment. Results tDCS treatment was more effective than sham: gains for treated words were maintained 2 months posttreatment; gains from tDCS also generalized to untreated words and were sustained 2 months posttreatment. Different effects were obtained for each PPA variant, with no tDCS advantage for semantic variant PPA. Discussion The study supports using tDCS as an adjunct to written language interventions in individuals with logopenic or nonfluent/agrammatic PPA seeking compensatory treatments in clinical settings.