Functional imaging studies with nonfluent aphasia patients have observed “over-activation”
in right (R) language homologues. This may represent a maladaptive strategy; suppression
may result in language improvement. We applied slow, 1 Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic
stimulation (rTMS) to an anterior portion of R Broca's homologue daily, for 10 days in four
aphasia patients who were 5–11 years poststroke. Significant improvement was observed in
picture naming at 2 months post-rTMS, with lasting benefit at 8 months in three patients. This …