Effects of primary motor cortex noninvasive brain stimulation on post-stroke aphasia: a narrative review

Aphasia is one of the most debilitating impairments after stroke, significantly affecting patients’ comprehension, communication, functional recovery, and overall quality of life. There are numerous strategies for treating aphasia in post-stroke patients. Noninvasive brain stimulation (NIBS) technologies, particularly transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) have demonstrated promising improvements in post-stroke aphasia when used as an adjunct therapy. However, previous studies have stimulated language-related areas only. This literature review examined the effect of primary motor cortex (M1) stimulation on language function and aphasia following stroke. Applying tDCS or TMS to the primary motor cortex has been shown to improve language recovery following stroke, suggesting a combination with other forms of speech-language rehabilitation has the potential to improve aphasia.