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Feasibility of Remotely Supervised Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (RS-tDCS) for People with Stroke-Induced
Jessica D Richardson1, Elizabeth E Galletta2, Leigh Charvet3
1Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.
Aphasiology
|February 14, 2025
Summary
Remotely-supervised transcranial direct current stimulation (RS-tDCS) is a feasible home-based treatment for aphasia. This study shows RS-tDCS can overcome barriers and enable future clinical trials for aphasia treatment.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Rehabilitation Medicine
- Speech-Language Pathology
Background:
- Remotely-supervised transcranial direct current stimulation (RS-tDCS) offers a telerehabilitation solution for aphasia treatment at home.
- This approach overcomes traditional barriers to in-person neurological disease treatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the feasibility, acceptability, and demand of RS-tDCS procedural implementation for individuals with aphasia.
- To evaluate the acceptability of repeated, consecutive RS-tDCS sessions in a home setting.
Main Methods:
- Two feasibility studies were conducted with participants experiencing various types of aphasia (latent, diagnosed, logopenic variant primary progressive aphasia).
- Supervisors (certified and trainee SLPs) were trained to oversee RS-tDCS, with participants undergoing training and virtual simulations.
- Study 2 involved two participants receiving 10 consecutive RS-tDCS sessions at home alongside computerized treatment.
Main Results:
- Preliminary evidence supports the feasibility of RS-tDCS for individuals with stable and progressive aphasia of diverse severities and typologies.
- Both participant and clinician perspectives were incorporated, revealing no major barriers to RS-tDCS use, although eHelpers were needed for two participants.
Conclusions:
- Remotely supervised at-home tDCS studies are viable for enabling efficacy trials in aphasia treatment.
- Future trials can determine the clinical efficacy of tDCS as an adjuvant therapy for aphasia, considering sample size, power, and dosing.
