Effect of low frequency or high frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on stroke patients with nonfluent aphasia / 中国康复理论与实践

ABSTRACT

ObjectiveTo explore the effect of low frequency or high frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on right Broca's homologue in stroke patients with nonfluent aphasia. MethodsFrom January, 2019 to August, 2022, 80 inpatients in Beijing Bo'ai Hospital were randomly divided into control group (n = 20), sham stimulation group (n = 20), low-frequency (1 Hz) rTMS (LF-rTMS) group (n = 20) and high-frequency (10 Hz) rTMS (HF-rTMS) group (n = 20). All the patients received routine language therapy. LF-rTMS group and HF-rTMS group received ten days of rTMS (1 Hz or 10 Hz), and the sham group received ten days of sham rTMS. The Western Aphasia Battery (WAB) was used to evaluate the language function before, after treatment, and two months after treatment. ResultsBefore treatment, there was no significant difference in the scores of WAB among four groups (P > 0.05). All the scores improved in the four groups immediately after treatment and two months after treatment (P < 0.05). Compared with immediately after treatment, all the scores of WAB improved in LF-rTMS group (P < 0.05), and the scores of recall, name and aphasia quotient (AQ) improved in HF-rTMS group (P < 0.05) two months after treatment. Immediately after treatment, the scores of content and fluency, auditory comprehension and AQ were higher in LF-rTMS group than in HF-rTMS group (P < 0.05). Two months after treatment, the scores of content and fluency were higher in LF-rTMS group than in HF-rTMS group (P < 0.05). ConclusionBoth 1 Hz and 10 Hz rTMS could improve the language function of stroke patients with nonfluent aphasia, especially 1 Hz.