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McConathey EM, White NC, Gervits F, Ash S, Coslett HB, Grossman M, Hamilton RH. Baseline Performance Predicts tDCS-Mediated Improvements in Language Symptoms in Primary Progressive Aphasia. Front Hum Neurosci 2017; 11:347. [PMID: 28713256 PMCID: PMC5492829 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2017.00347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2016] [Accepted: 06/16/2017] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA) is a neurodegenerative condition characterized by insidious irreversible loss of language abilities. Prior studies suggest that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) directed toward language areas of the brain may help to ameliorate symptoms of PPA. In the present sham-controlled study, we examined whether tDCS could be used to enhance language abilities (e.g., picture naming) in individuals with PPA variants primarily characterized by difficulties with speech production (non-fluent and logopenic). Participants were recruited from the Penn Frontotemporal Dementia Center to receive 10 days of both real and sham tDCS (counter-balanced, full-crossover design; participants were naïve to stimulation condition). A battery of language tests was administered at baseline, immediately post-tDCS (real and sham), and 6 weeks and 12 weeks following stimulation. When we accounted for individuals' baseline performance, our analyses demonstrated a stratification of tDCS effects. Individuals who performed worse at baseline showed tDCS-related improvements in global language performance, grammatical comprehension and semantic processing. Individuals who performed better at baseline showed a slight tDCS-related benefit on our speech repetition metric. Real tDCS may improve language performance in some individuals with PPA. Severity of deficits at baseline may be an important factor in predicting which patients will respond positively to language-targeted tDCS therapies. Clinicaltrials.gov ID: NCT02928848.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric M McConathey
- Laboratory for Cognition and Neural Stimulation, Department of Neurology, University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, PA, United States
| | - Nicole C White
- Laboratory for Cognition and Neural Stimulation, Department of Neurology, University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, PA, United States
| | - Felix Gervits
- Laboratory for Cognition and Neural Stimulation, Department of Neurology, University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, PA, United States
| | - Sherry Ash
- Penn Frontotemporal Degeneration CenterPhiladelphia, PA, United States
| | - H Branch Coslett
- Laboratory for Cognition and Neural Stimulation, Department of Neurology, University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, PA, United States.,Neurology, Perelman School of MedicinePhiladelphia, PA, United States
| | - Murray Grossman
- Penn Frontotemporal Degeneration CenterPhiladelphia, PA, United States.,Neurology, Perelman School of MedicinePhiladelphia, PA, United States
| | - Roy H Hamilton
- Laboratory for Cognition and Neural Stimulation, Department of Neurology, University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, PA, United States.,Neurology, Perelman School of MedicinePhiladelphia, PA, United States
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