Abstract Details

Title Use of tDCS Alongside Speech Language Training for Personally Relevant Words Promotes Naming in Individuals with PPA

Topic Neuro-rehabilitation

Presentation(s) P7 - Poster Session 7 (11:45 AM-12:45 PM)

Poster/Presentation
Number 11-004

Objective To report findings from an open-label, observational cohort study utilizing transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) paired with individualized word retrieval training, delivered to patients with primary progressive aphasia (PPA) at home via telehealth.

Background PPA is an incurable, language-based neurocognitive disorder, typically managed with speech and language therapy (SLT) to delay its progression. Pairing noninvasive brain stimulation with rehabilitation can yield strong and enduring clinical effects. tDCS, a safe and well-tolerated noninvasive brain stimulation method, has been extensively validated for home use through telehealth. We tested the effectiveness of tDCS alongside personalized word retrieval training in a cohort of PPA patients.

Design/Methods Individuals with PPA and notable word-finding difficulties were recruited nationally. The intervention consisted of 20 daily (5/week) sessions of 45-minutes of personalized word retrieval training with concurrent tDCS stimulation (2.0mA) over the left inferior frontal gyrus (anode F7, cathode O1) for the first 30 minutes. Objects and actions were trained using a cueing hierarchy. Sessions were conducted via telehealth. Cognitive and language tests were completed remotely at baseline and intervention end.

Results We enrolled n=10 patients with PPA (age: 70±6.9; 60% male) with confirmed logopenic variant (lvPPA; n=2), semantic variant (svPPA; n=2), or unspecified (n=6). The intervention was well-tolerated, with no adverse events, with all participants completing the 20 daily sessions. Following treatment, participants showed improvement in naming for trained vs. untrained items (25.1±4.3 vs. 20.2±7.5, p=.003). From baseline to intervention end, the group significantly improved in confrontation naming (6.2±5.6 vs 7.8±5.2, p=.016). Further, no measure declined over the course of the intervention at either the group or individual level, indicating stability or improvement across all participants.

Conclusions

tDCS paired with SLT is a promising intervention to recover and maintain language functioning in PPA patients using home-based delivery.

Authors/Disclosures
Allan George PRESENTER	Mr. George has nothing to disclose.
Eric McConathey	No disclosure on file
Amy Vogel-Eyny	No disclosure on file
Elizabeth Galletta (NYU Langone Health)	No disclosure on file
Giuseppina Pilloni, PhD (NYU Grossman School of Medicine)	Dr. Pilloni has received personal compensation in the range of $10,000-$49,999 for serving as a Consultant for Ceragem.
Leigh E. Charvet, PhD (NYU Langone)	Dr. Charvet has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving as a Consultant for Johnson & Johnson. Dr. Charvet has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving as a Consultant for Springer Healthcare. Dr. Charvet has received personal compensation in the range of $10,000-$49,999 for serving as a Consultant for YBrain. Dr. Charvet has stock in Johnson&Johnson.

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