Williams EER, Sghirripa S, Rogasch NC, Hordacre B, Attrill S. Non-invasive brain stimulation in the treatment of post-stroke aphasia: a scoping review.
Disabil Rehabil 2023:1-22. [PMID:
37828899 DOI:
10.1080/09638288.2023.2259299]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 09/10/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE
Aphasia is an acquired language impairment that commonly results from stroke. Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) might accelerate aphasia recovery trajectories and has seen mounting popularity in recent aphasia rehabilitation research. The present review aimed to: (1) summarise all existing literature on NIBS as a post-stroke aphasia treatment; and (2) provide recommendations for future NIBS-aphasia research.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Databases for published and grey literature were searched using scoping review methodology. 278 journal articles, conference abstracts/posters, and books, and 38 items of grey literature, were included for analysis.
RESULTS
Quantitative analysis revealed that ipsilesional anodal transcranial direct current stimulation and contralesional 1-Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation were the most widely used forms of NIBS, while qualitative analysis identified four key themes including: the roles of the hemispheres in aphasia recovery and their relationship with NIBS; heterogeneity of individuals but homogeneity of subpopulations; individualisation of stimulation parameters; and much remains under-explored in the NIBS-aphasia literature.
CONCLUSIONS
Taken together, these results highlighted systemic challenges across the field such as small sample sizes, inter-individual variability, lack of protocol optimisation/standardisation, and inadequate focus on aphasiology. Four key recommendations are outlined herein to guide future research and refine NIBS methods for post-stroke aphasia treatment.
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