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Addressing Phonological Deficit in Primary Progressive Aphasia With Behavioral Intervention and Transcranial Direct
Katlyn Nickels1, Pélagie M Beeson1,2, Aneta Kielar1,3
1Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, The University of Arizona, Tucson.
Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research : JSLHR
|April 14, 2025
Summary
This study found that combining behavioral therapy with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) improved phonological skills in individuals with primary progressive aphasia (PPA). This approach enhanced written communication abilities, particularly when tDCS was applied first.
Area of Science:
- Neurolinguistics
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Speech-Language Pathology
Background:
- Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) variants, including logopenic and nonfluent, are characterized by underlying phonological impairments.
- Despite recognition of these deficits, targeted treatment research for phonological skills in PPA remains limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the efficacy of behavioral intervention combined with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) for remediating phonological deficits in logopenic and nonfluent PPA.
- To determine if this combined approach improves language abilities, with a specific focus on written modality.
Main Methods:
- A double-blind, crossover study involving 6 individuals with PPA and 24 neurotypical adults.
- Participants with PPA received either active tDCS with phonological intervention or sham tDCS with phonological intervention in a randomized order, followed by the alternative condition after a 2-month break.
- Language skills were assessed before and after each treatment phase and 2 months post-intervention.
Main Results:
- Both treatment groups showed significant improvements in phonological transcoding following behavioral intervention.
- Individuals receiving active tDCS first demonstrated enhanced phonological manipulation abilities and improvements in written narratives, including increased grammatical sentences, meaningful content, and spelling accuracy.
Conclusions:
- Behavioral intervention targeting phonological deficits, especially when combined with tDCS from the outset, is a promising approach for individuals with logopenic and nonfluent PPA.
- Improvements in phonological skills correlate with enhanced functional communication, specifically in text-level writing, suggesting broader real-world benefits.
