# Cerebellar stimulation for Aphasia Rehabilitation

> **NIH NIH R56** · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $663,345

## Abstract

Project Abstract
Aphasia is a devastating complication of stroke. Speech and language treatment (SLT) can be helpful in restoring
language function, but not all individuals show improvement. Recent studies indicate that Transcranial Direct
Current Stimulation (tDCS) is a promising adjuvant approach to enhance the effectiveness of SLT. tDCS is a
noninvasive, non-painful, electrical stimulation of the brain. It is believed that tDCS boosts neural plasticity that
underlies recovery with SLT. A majority of the tDCS studies of aphasia have stimulated the left hemisphere
regions. However, left hemisphere lesions common in post-stroke aphasia affect the electrical field in
unpredictable ways, potentially preventing stimulation from reaching perilesional tissue associated with optimal
recovery. Our work addressed this problem by stimulating a novel region, the right cerebellum. The right
cerebellum is connected to the left hemisphere and involved in a variety of cognitive and language functions,
including naming, which is often impaired in people with aphasia. We show that cerebellar tDCS is safe, easily
tolerated, and improved language skills in a number of stroke participants with aphasia. The proposed project
will build on these findings by conducting a randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled, trial to determine the
effectiveness of cathodal tDCS to the right cerebellum for the treatment of post-stroke aphasia. We will compare
the effects of 15 sessions of cerebellar tDCS plus evidenced based naming treatment to 15 sessions of sham
plus evidenced based naming treatment in patients with chronic (at least 6 months post stroke) aphasia. We will
evaluate the effects of cerebellar tDCS on untrained picture naming as well as the effects on functional
communication, content, efficiency, and word-retrieval of picture description, and quality of life. This project will
also identify imaging and linguistic biomarkers to determine the characteristics of stroke patients that benefit
from cerebellar tDCS. Individual response to tDCS treatment is highly variable, and little is known about how
factors related to imaging and linguistic characteristics combine to induce treatment responsiveness. We will
carry out resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI), diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), high
resolution structural imaging, and detailed linguistic testing before the start of treatment to determine whether
these factors can predict response to cerebellar tDCS. The long-term aim of this study is to provide the basis for
a Phase III randomized controlled trial of cerebellar tDCS vs sham with concurrent SLT for treatment of chronic
aphasia.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10471605
- **Project number:** 1R56DC019639-01
- **Recipient organization:** JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Rajani Sebastian
- **Activity code:** R56 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $663,345
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-09-07 → 2022-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10471605

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10471605, Cerebellar stimulation for Aphasia Rehabilitation (1R56DC019639-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10471605. Licensed CC0.

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