Baseline Functional Connectivity Predicts Who Will Benefit From Neuromodulation: Evidence From Primary Progressive Aphasia.
Zeyi Wang, Jessica Gallegos, Donna Tippett and 6 others
PMID 41510899WHAT IT FOUND
Baseline brain connectivity patterns predicted who would benefit from tDCS for aphasia better than clinical symptoms or brain atrophy.
This suggests MRI scans could help therapists select patients for neuromodulation before starting treatment.
Key findings
01Baseline functional connectivity predicted tDCS effects significantly better than demographic or clinical factors, which failed to meet predictive thresholds.
02Higher baseline connectivity between specific left hemisphere language areas was associated with greater additional benefit from active tDCS compared to sham.
03A short 7-minute resting-state MRI scan provided enough data to predict treatment response, outperforming structural volume measures.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample size was small (36 patients), which limits the robustness of the prediction models. There was no independent validation cohort; the results rely on cross-validation within the same group. The study could not analyze predictors separately for each PPA variant due to insufficient power. Effects of concurrent medications, particularly anticholinergics, were not examined.
Declared interests
The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health (U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.). No commercial conflicts of interest are reported in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume this predictive model is ready for clinical use. The findings are based on a small sample and require validation in larger, independent groups before MRI scans can be used to guide tDCS treatment decisions.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →