1. Transkranielle Magnetstimulation – eine neue Therapieoption bei Aphasie?
- Author
-
M. Ptok and Marion Wittler
- Subjects
musculoskeletal, neural, and ocular physiology ,medicine.medical_treatment ,Spontaneous recovery ,behavioral disciplines and activities ,Cortex (botany) ,Transkranielle magnetstimulation ,Transcranial magnetic stimulation ,Psychiatry and Mental health ,nervous system ,Brain stimulation ,Aphasia ,mental disorders ,Aphasia Treatment ,medicine ,In patient ,medicine.symptom ,Psychology ,Neuroscience ,psychological phenomena and processes ,Applied Psychology - Abstract
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a painless, non-invasive method of brain stimulation, which induces electric currents by using magnetic fields. The electric currents affect about 1-cm square area of the cortex. Slow frequency 1 Hz rTMS reduces cortical excitability whereas fast frequency (5, 10 or 20 Hz) leads to increasing cortical excitability. Therefore, rTMS can suppress (compensatory) over activation in the damaged hemisphere or increase cortical excitability in the non affected hemisphere. rTMS bears the potential for a new therapeutic procedure in patients with aphasia. One can assume that the treatment with rTMS supports the mechanisms of spontaneous recovery. Here we describe the procedure of rTMS. We will then present an overview of preliminary results from current neurolinguistic studies employing rTMS. Finally, the results of recent rTMS trials in aphasia treatment will be discussed.
- Published
- 2007