Improving Aphasia Outcomes through tDCS-Mediated Attention Management

项目总结 经颅直流电刺激(Tdcs)已被提出作为一种加强治疗的方法。 失语症，但主要是在与语言功能相关的备用大脑区域进行测试。虽然这件事 这种方法在很大程度上是成功的，在典型的临床环境中向失语症患者提供tDC是可行的 是有限的，因为识别功能大脑所需的功能神经成像的费用和不可获得性 病变周围的区域。我们提出了另一种方法，其目的是将注意力作为一种手段 以提高语言学习水平。研究表明，阳极tdcs适用于背外侧前额叶皮质。 (DLPFC)可以改善中风后的注意力。然而，目前尚不清楚给DLPFC注射tdcs是否会 改善失语症患者的注意力、语言恢复或语言学习。的长期目标是 我们提出的研究是为了提高现有言语和语言的效率和效果 失语症的治疗。拟议的项目将是实现这一目标的第一步，具体而言 Tdcs介导的语言特异性注意训练对注意测量和训练效果的影响 失语症患者的语言。该项目将通过推进以下研究来推进NIDCD的使命 中风和失语症的康复。对于这项临床试验，我们将追求以下具体目标：确定 TDC应用于DLPFC对(目标1a)领域一般注意技能、(目标1b)复杂语言的影响 理解和(目标1c)人工语法规则学习。参与者将接受10个课程的 结合了特定语言的注意和人工语法训练，同时积极或虚假的tdcs 同时给予左侧DLPFC。我们将在三个时间点(基准、后 培训，一个月的跟踪)在两个领域-一般注意任务，句子理解任务，和 人工语法学习的两个衡量标准。我们将通过比较以下方面的表现来实现我们的研究目标 这些任务跨越了活动的和假的tDCS条件。在这项临床试验结束时，我们预计 提供证据，证明主动阳极tDCs to DLPFC可以增强注意能力，复句 理解和人工语法学习。该项目的成功完成将提供必不可少的 初步数据使随后的大规模研究能够调查tdcs介导的注意的影响。 失语症患者的语言恢复培训。

PROJECT SUMMARY Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been proposed as a method of enhancing treatment for aphasia but has mostly been tested on spared brain regions associated with language function. Although this approach has been largely successful, feasibility of providing tDCS to aphasia clients in a typical clinical setting is limited given the expense and unavailability of functional neuroimaging required to identify functional brain areas surrounding the lesion. We propose an alternative approach, which aims to target attention as a means to improve language learning. Studies have shown that anodal tDCS applied to dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) can improve attention after stroke. However, it remains unknown if tDCS administered to DLPFC will improve attention, language recovery, or language learning in persons with aphasia. The long-term objective of our proposed research is to is to increase the efficiency and efficacy of existing speech and language treatments for aphasia. The proposed project will be a first step toward achieving this objective, specifically investigating effects of tDCS-mediated language-specific attention training on measures of attention and language in persons with aphasia. This project will advance the NIDCD’s mission by advancing research for stroke and aphasia rehabilitation. For this clinical trial, we will pursue the following specific aim: Determine the impact of tDCS applied to DLPFC on (Aim 1a) domain-general attention skills, (Aim 1b) complex language comprehension, and (Aim 1c) artificial grammar rule learning. Participants will undergo 10 sessions of combined language-specific attention and artificial grammar training while active or sham tDCS is simultaneously administered to left DLPFC. We will measure performance at three time points (baseline, post- training, one-month follow-up) on two domain-general attention tasks, a sentence comprehension task, and two measures of artificial grammar learning. We will address our study aims by comparing performance on these tasks across active and sham tDCS conditions. At the conclusion of this clinical trial, we expect to provide evidence that active anodal tDCS to DLPFC can enhance attention ability, complex sentence comprehension, and artificial grammar learning. Successful completion of this project will provide essential preliminary data to enable subsequent large-scale studies investigating the effects of tDCS-mediated attention training on language recovery in persons with aphasia.