Open AccessCombination of Verb Network Strengthening Treatment with TMS and tDCS: Preliminary results
Author(s) -
Arina Razmyslovich,
Olga Buivolova,
Anastasia Samoukina,
Tatiana Abramova,
Ekaterina Iskra,
Е. В. Иванова,
Maria Ivanova,
Olga Pakholiuk,
Victoria Pozdniakova,
Anastasia Shlyakhova,
Soloukhina Olga,
Yulia Voronkova,
Galina Ivanova,
Sofia Malyutina,
Olga Dragoy
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
rossijskij žurnal kognitivnoj nauki
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2313-4518
DOI - 10.47010/21.3.3
Subject(s) - transcranial direct current stimulation , aphasia , sentence , transcranial magnetic stimulation , psychology , brain stimulation , audiology , stroke (engine) , verb , stimulation , primary progressive aphasia , physical medicine and rehabilitation , neurorehabilitation , session (web analytics) , rehabilitation , physical therapy , medicine , neuroscience , computer science , natural language processing , artificial intelligence , dementia , mechanical engineering , disease , pathology , world wide web , frontotemporal dementia , engineering
Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) techniques combined with behavioral speech/language therapies have recently been suggested as a promising method for language recovery in people with aphasia (PWA). Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) are currently the most common types of NIBS for aphasia rehabilitation. In this study, we combined either rTMS or tDCS with a behavioral therapy approach, Verb Network Strengthening Treatment (VNeST), that has neither been used before in a Russian-speaking post-stroke population nor combined with any type of NIBS. In a case series study, we demonstrate the results of two groups of participants: 1) 4 PWA who received one daily session of VNeST preceded by 20-minutes of rTMS for 8 – 12 days; and 2) 4 PWA who received 2 sessions of VNeST a day, with the first 20 minutes of the first daily session combined with tDCS, for 10 days. We assessed the accuracy of action naming and sentence production and found a significant improvement in sentence production in the tDCS + VNeST group, while the other group did not show a significant improvement in these tasks. Interestingly, we found a correlation between improvement in sentence production and the number of sessions regardless of the stimulation type and another correlation between improvement in action naming and initial aphasia severity. This study is a first attempt to apply the combination of these techniques in Russian. Our preliminary findings prompt larger-scale research to study the potential of this method.