Effect of High Frequency Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on Recovery of Chronic Post-Stroke Aphasia

Role of rTMS in Recovery of Chronic Post Stroke Aphasia

high frequency excitatory rTMS applied over the dominant hemisphere in chronic post stroke aphasic patients to help the restoration of function by the left hemisphere

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Post Stroke Aphasia
• Intervention / Treatment: Device: rTMS (repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation )

Detailed Description

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has been used in many studies as a novel intervention to treat disorders associated with stroke, including paralysis or dysphagia, hemispatial neglect, pain, and aphasia. Number of studies have demonstrated that low-frequency rTMS over the unaffected hemisphere can be useful for enhancing recovery in aphasic patients.. It is expected that application of high-frequency (facilitatory) rTMS over the dominant speech area would have a beneficial effect on improving speech performance.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of excitatory high frequency rTMS on recovery of aphasia in chronic aphasic patients due to cerebrovascular stroke. Twenty patients with post-stroke aphasia were enrolled in this study. Patients were selected from those attending the stroke clinic of Neurology department, Cairo University during the period from June 2020 to November 2020. The protocol of the study was approved by the ethical committee of the Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University. The aim and procedures of the study were explained and written consent forms were taken from all patients prior to participation.

The eligibility criteria were: chronic post stroke nonfluent aphasia due to first-ever ischemic stroke in the distribution of middle cerebral artery diagnosed clinically and documented by computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging on the brain, right handedness, both sexes, age ranged from 33 to 66 years old, duration at least 4 months from stroke onset, patients not receiving speech therapy and educated at least 10 years of education.

Exclusion criteria were: aphasia due to head injury or neurological disease other than stroke, other clinical forms of aphasia, unstable cardiac dysrhythmia or cardiac pacemaker, unstable or critically ill patients, current or history of epilepsy, skull wounds and pregnant females. Also patients with severe grade of weakness which interfere with writing ability.

The severity of aphasia was assessed for every patient using the Aphasia Severity Rating Scale (ASRS). According to this scale, language deficits were recognized ranging from 0 to 5 points.Every patient was then assessed for linguistic deficits using Kasr El-Eini Arabic Aphasia test (KAAT), which is a simple, rapid, standardized, valid, and reliable bedside test for Egyptian patients, literate and illiterate.

Neuroimaging studies (computerized tomography (CT) and/or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain) were done for all participants.

Treatment procedures:

Real rTMS was applied three times per week for 10 sessions. Fifty trains of 10-Hz stimulation, each lasting for 5 seconds with an intertrain interval of 15 seconds were given through a figure-of-8 coil (9-cm diameter loop) positioned over the left Broca's area of the affected hemisphere (25 trains over pars triangularis followed by 25 trains over pars opercularis.The intensity of stimulation was set at 80% of the resting motor threshold (rMT) for the first dorsal interosseous of unaffected hemisphere.Two parts of Broca's area were sequentially stimulated: the anterior part (pars triangularis-PTr) and the posterior part (pars opercularis-POp). To target the regions of interest precisely, the coil was positioned on the scalp according to the coordinates used by Gough et al.The anterior stimulation site was 2.5 cm posterior to the canthus along the canthus-tragus line and 3 cm superior to this line; the posterior stimulation site was 4.5 cm posterior and 6 cm superior to the canthus-tragus line. The stimulation was applied in the same session with 1000 pulses over pars triangularis followed by 1000 pulses over pars opercularis in left hemisphere.All patients were evaluated before, after the end of last session of rTMS and after one month with ASRS and KAAT. The outcome measures were collected and statistically analyzed

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 20
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Egypt
  • Cairo, Egypt, 11931
    • Haidy Elshebawy

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 33 years to 66 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• chronic post stroke nonfluent aphasia due to first-ever ischemic stroke in the distribution of middle cerebral artery diagnosed clinically and documented by computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging on the brain
• Right handedness
• Both sexe groups
• Age ranged from 33 to 66 years old,
• Duration is at least 4 months from stroke onset,
• patients never received speech therapy before
• Educated for at least 10 years of education.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Aphasia due to head injury or neurological disease other than stroke,
• unstable cardiac dysrhythmia or cardiac pacemaker
• unstable or critically ill patients
• current or history of epilepsy, skull wounds and pregnant females.
• patients with severe grade of weakness which interfere with writing ability.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Other: aphasic patients; post stroke aphasic patients will receive 10 sessions of high frequency rTMS 3 times per week over the damaged hemisphere without language therapy	Device: rTMS (repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation ); applying high frequency TMS over the damaged hemisphere in chronic post stroke aphasic patients

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
evaluate the recovery of post stroke aphasia by non invasive procedure without language therapy	rTMs is non invasive procedure may help improvement of speech performance	1 month to assess the recovery

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Cairo University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Haidy Elshebawy, lecturer, El kasr al ainy hospitals ,faculty of medicine ,cairo university

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Fahmy EM, Elshebawy HM. Effect of High Frequency Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on Recovery of Chronic Post-Stroke Aphasia. J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis. 2021 Aug;30(8):105855. doi: 10.1016/j.jstrokecerebrovasdis.2021.105855. Epub 2021 May 25.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): June 1, 2020
• Primary Completion (Actual): February 1, 2021
• Study Completion (Actual): May 1, 2021

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 9, 2021
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 12, 2021
• First Posted (Actual): January 13, 2021

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): August 6, 2021
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 2, 2021
• Last Verified: August 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Cardiovascular Diseases; Vascular Diseases; Cerebrovascular Disorders; Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Neurologic Manifestations; Neurobehavioral Manifestations; Language Disorders; Communication Disorders; Speech Disorders; Stroke; Aphasia
• Other Study ID Numbers: Shebawy12345

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: No

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No