Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in patients with aphasia after cerebral stroke

Abstract

Introduction Cerebral stroke and its consequences are important medical, social and economic problems. Each change in the brain area entails serious consequences related with the functioning of an individual in many domains important for life. For a long time, attention was paid only to the physical problems faced by patients after stroke, and it was the area of concern in rehabilitation. At present, it is known that each stroke event brings about consequences for a patient also in the cognitive and emotional sphere. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is one of the promising although still experimental methods in post-stroke rehabilitation. Research to-date indicates the effectiveness of this method in aphasia and cognitive functions rehabilitation. However, this problem area still requires further studies. Objective The aim of the presented article is to review current research on the effectiveness of tDCS in the cognitive functioning of patients with post-stroke aphasia. Brief description of the state of knowledge Transcranial direct current stimulation is an experimental method in cognitive neurorehabilitation of dysfunction with brain damage. A beneficial effect of tDCS stimulation on improving the functioning of patients with aphasia after stroke has been demonstrated, even with one-off treatment. Scientific reports in this area focus mainly on language functions. There are definitely fewer studies concerning the improvement of other cognitive functions, such as attention, memory or learning ability in aphasic patients. Conclusions Currently, tDCS can be seen to have great potential, in particular in the fields of psychology, neurology and geriatrics. Taking into account statistical data and demographic projections, the number of strokes is constantly increasing. The tDCS method can be used, among others, as a non-pharmacological treatment aid in strokes. At the same time, despite promising reports in the field of neurorehabilitation using tDCS, this method still raises many doubts and has the status of experimental activities.

Keywords

• tdcs
• cerebral stroke
• aphasia
• non-invasive brain stimulation
• cognitive abilities