Phonological components analysis (PCA) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in semantic variant of primary progressive aphasia (svPPA): A single-case longitudinal study

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background Semantic variant of primary progressive aphasia (svPPA) is a form of dementia leading to progressive language comprehension and production difficulties. Aims We investigated whether a phonological approach combined with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) would improve naming skills in semantic-based word finding difficulties due to svPPA. Methods & Procedures A 58-year-old female with svPPA was treated with phonological components analysis (PCA) combined with anodal transcranial direct current simulation (atDCS) of the left anterior temporal lobe. She completed four structured therapy blocks, each lasting two weeks and separated by a minimum two-week break including two interim tests. Before and after the intervention, we additionally assessed the participant’s general cognitive and language skills. Outcomes & Results Logistic regression showed that the participant’s ability to name trained and untrained items improved significantly. Furthermore, her overall cognitive and language abilities seemed to stagnate over the eight months, which seems surprising given the underlying progressive svPPA. We therefore concluded that phonological approaches combined with tDCS can enhance naming abilities even though the difficulties are mainly semantically driven.