EFFECT OF HIGH FREQUENCY REPETITIVE TRANSCRANIAL MAGNETIC STIMULATION ON POST STROKE-DYSPHASIA

Abstract

Background: Aphasia is characterized as language impairment. The bulk of stroke-induced cerebrovascular disease leads to its prevalence. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a noninvasive and painless method of altering the excitability of the cerebral cortex by inducing or enhancing neuroplasticity in brain. Objective: The goal of this research to assess the effect of high frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on improving post-stroke dysphasia. Patients and methods: Our studies were conducted on sixty (60) patients suffering from post-cerebrovascular stroke dysphasia and were randomly divided into two groups. Group A (case group): Forty patients received stimulatory session’s high frequency) of rTMS (10Hz, 90 % of motor threshold) over the dominant language areas, and Group B (sham group): Twenty patients received sham rTMS on dominant language areas. Patients were selected from the Department of Neurology at Al-Azhar University Hospitals, and follow up was performed at outpatient clinics at (Bab Al-Shaaria and Al-Hussien university hospitals). Results: There were a significant changes in fluency, auditory verbal (AV) comprehension, sequential commands and aphasia qutions (AQ) before and after rTMS therapy in group A (P <0.05). There was significant difference in auditory verbal (AV) comprehension, sequential commands before and after shamTMS therapy in group B (P <0.05). Conclusion: Significant changes were found in fluency, auditory verbal comprehension, sequential commands and aphasia qutions between before and after TMS therapy in group A (case group).High frequency rTMS was beneficial for rehabilitating patients with post stroke aphasia.