Researchers conducted a double-blind, randomized, sham-controlled crossover study involving thirty-two individuals with chronic post-stroke aphasia. The participants received anodal transcranial direct current stimulation over the left inferior frontal gyrus combined with verb naming therapy. In the other condition, they received sham stimulation paired with the same therapy. The primary outcome measured was verb naming performance.
results showed that anodal stimulation significantly enhanced verb naming compared to the sham condition. This improvement had a large effect size. All participants demonstrated greater improvement during the active stimulation condition relative to the sham condition. The benefits were sustained at the one-month follow-up. No adverse events were reported during the study period.
The study confirms the potential of using transcranial direct current stimulation as an adjunct to speech therapy. It reinforces the importance of a network-based approach in post-stroke language rehabilitation. However, the extent to which neurostructural damage mediates treatment efficacy remains poorly understood. Readers should view this as evidence of potential rather than a definitive cure.