Effects of rTMS based on brain activation during language performance in stroke patients with non-fluent Aphasia (Pilot Study)

Introduction: In post-stroke aphasia rehabilitation, repetitive transcranial stimulation (rTMS) aimed to reinforce the activity of the brain regions in the left hemisphere. Most conventional rTMS studies employed an inhibitory low frequency protocol for the contralesional homologs of Broca's area. In the present pilot study, we performed functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) prior to excitatory rTMS treatment for selection of the most appropriate application of stimulation. The purpose of this study is to assess the safety and clinical efficacy of high frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation based on brain activation with fNIRS in post-stroke non-fluent aphasia patients.