Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) for Improving Aphasia in Adults With Aphasia After Stroke
Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
Elsner, B., Kugler, J., et al. (2019).
Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 5, CD009760.
This systematic review updates a previous Cochrane review by Elsner et al. (2015) and investigates the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on individuals with post-stroke aphasia. Although tDCS is outside the scope of speech-language pathology (SLP) treatment, comparisons were made between SLP intervention combined with tDCS and SLP intervention combined with sham tDCS, which helps to determine whether tDCS enhances SLP treatment for aphasia.
Included studies compared transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) plus speech-language pathology intervention versus sham tDCS plus speech-language pathology intervention. Overall, the findings remained unchanged. There was no evidence of an effect of tDCS for improving functional communication in adults with aphasia. However, there was limited evidence that tDCS improved naming skills post-intervention and at follow up.
