The Current Role of Neuromodulation in the Intervention of Post-Stroke Aphasia

Hazel Zeynep Kurada
Abstract

Purpose: Aphasia is a complex language disorder that occurs when the language centers of the brain are damaged. It involves difficulties in speaking, understanding, and repeating language. Aphasia primarily impacts the language regions in the left hemisphere of the brain, causing significant disruptions in communication skills and creating significant challenges for persons in their daily activities and overall well-being. Speech and language therapy is widely acknowledged as the foundation of aphasia rehabilitation. It plays a crucial role in helping individuals regain their communication abilities and accelerating their path to recovery. Recently, non-invasive brain stimulation approaches have become a promising addition to standard therapy for managing aphasia. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) and Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) are methods that have gained attention for their potential effectiveness, especially in treating post-stroke aphasia. These therapies work by adjusting neural activity in specific areas of the brain that are involved in language processing. This helps improve language recovery and enhance communication results. This comprehensive review aims to investigate the applications and protocols of brain stimulation used in the rehabilitation of post-stroke aphasia. The main goal is to increase knowledge of different therapeutic options in clinical settings by carefully analyzing the existing state of neurostimulation practices. Furthermore, this review aims to stimulate additional theoretical or experimental research by highlighting current patterns and important discoveries in the literature on aphasia neurostimulation.

Method: A literature review was conducted using databases such as PubMed and Google Scholar with search terms like “TMS,” “tDCS,” “aphasia,” “post-stroke aphasia,” and “non-fluent chronic aphasia” to identify current and relevant studies in this field. The search results were compiled by categorizing the studies annually and reviewing content specific to the topic.

Results: The review findings suggest that neuromodulatory tools, particularly when combined with standard speech and language therapy, accelerate the recovery process in post-stroke aphasia rehabilitation and support language skills such as fluency, naming, and repetition. These integrative therapies have shown promise in strengthening basic language abilities. Despite the positive progress, there are still many important questions that are uncertain. Further empirical research is needed to determine the effectiveness, dependability, and best stimulation parameters required to produce long-lasting therapeutic benefits. Moreover, a thorough understanding of the neurobiological foundations is essential for improving these interventions and maximizing their effectiveness in managing post-stroke aphasia. The review findings provide information on current practices and encourage further research in aphasia management. It highlights the potential of neurostimulation techniques to become a crucial part of aphasia rehabilitation strategies.

Conclusion: Though more research is needed to fully understand how these therapeutic effects work, how safe they are, the best stimulation parameters for long-term effects, and how they work, brain stimulation techniques seem to be useful for rehabilitating people with aphasia, improving both their communication skills and quality of life.

Keywords: , , , ,


Keywords

aphasia, post-stroke aphasia, neuromodulation, transcranial magnetic stimulation, transcranial direct current stimulation


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