Effects of speech rehabilitation training combined with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on patients with post-stroke aphasia.

OBJECTIVE

The study focused on effects of speech rehabilitation training combined with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in patients with post-stroke aphasia (PSA).

METHODS

Ninety-six patients with PSA were divided into two groups. One group received speech rehabilitation training (ST group, n = 48) and one group received speech rehabilitation training combined with rTMS treatment (ST + rTMS group, n = 48), both of which were treated continuously for 4 weeks. The post-treatment effects of the two groups and the Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination (BDAE), Chinese Rehabilitation Research Center Standard Aphasia Examination (CRRCAE), Communicative Ability in Daily Life (CADL), Stroop Color and Word Test (SCWT), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and Barthel Index (BI) scores before and after treatment were compared in both groups.

RESULTS

After treatment, the total effective rate of the ST + rTMS group was higher than that of the ST group (p < 0.05). Both groups exhibited improved BDAE grade; CRRCAE, CADL, SCWT, MoCA, and BI scores increased in both groups, and were higher in the ST + rTMS group than in the ST group (all p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Speech rehabilitation training combined with rTMS can effectively improve speech function in PSA, with remarkable rehabilitation effects.