Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Graph Naming Function and Brain Connectivity in Postinfarction Aphasia Patients: An fMRI Study.
Yancheng Song, Fenghai Liu, Liqing Kang and 6 others
PMID 37788662WHAT IT FOUND
Graph naming scores improved after 12 days of tDCS added to standard stroke treatment.
No sham control, so improvement could reflect usual care or recovery. Brain scan changes were reported but cannot prove treatment effect.
Key findings
01PACA graph naming scores improved significantly after the treatment course, from 8.00±5.657 to 16.75±8.345 in the acute group and from 11.70±7.469 to 23.00±7.118 in the recovery group.
02Patients were not randomized and had no sham control, and tDCS was added to standard cerebral infarction treatment.
03Resting-state fMRI showed increased functional connectivity in relation to Wernicke's area after treatment in both patient groups, with decreased regions reported in the recovery group.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample was small, with only 28 patients, and the authors state this as a limitation. There was no randomization and no sham or usual-care control group among the patients. All patients also received standard cerebral infarction treatment, so the contribution of tDCS alone cannot be separated from usual stroke care or natural recovery. The paper does not report whether participants had prior speech-language therapy or medications, which could affect naming outcomes. Blinding is inconsistent: the methods say assessors were blinded to group assignment, but the Discussion says blinding was not included. Cognitive assessment was only partial, so cognition may confound the language and connectivity findings. No long-term follow-up was reported, so durability is unknown.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that tDCS caused the naming improvement. The study had no sham or usual-care control group, and all patients also received standard cerebral infarction treatment, so natural recovery and other care could explain the change.