Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation As An Adjuvant To An Intensive Comprehensive Aphasia Program In Chronic Stroke

Background and Purpose: In this proof-of-concept pilot study, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) was used as an adjuvant to speech therapy in an intensive comprehensive aphasia program (ICAP). Methods: Using a double-blind, sham controlled, between-group design, 1 mA of direct current was delivered via NEO-24 PiStim gel electrodes using a Starstim tDCS device.The anode was placed over the inferior frontal gyrus (FC5), with the cathode placed over the supra-orbital frontal area (AF8) of the contralesional side during the first 20 minutes of daily intensive speech therapy for a period of 15 consecutive weekdays, commencing on day-1 of an 8-week ICAP. Pre- and post-treatment standardized assessments and discourse analysis, as well as bi-weekly trained and untrained probes, were used as outcome measures. Results: Six subjects were analyzed; three received ICAP-tDCS and three received ICAP-sham. Five subjects were male. Ages ranged from 50 to 67 years. Time post-stroke at enrollment ranged from 8 m...