ObjectiveTo systematically review the effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on stroke patients with aphasia. MethodsDatabases such as PubMed, EMbase, The Cochrane Library (Issue 6, 2014), CBM, CNKI, WanFang Data were searched up to June 2014, for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) about rTMS for stroke patients with aphasia. Two reviewers independently screened literature according to the exclusion and inclusion criteria, extracted data and assessed methodological quality of included studies. Then, meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3 software. ResultsA total of 9 RCTs involving 130 patients were included. The results of meta-analysis showed that compared with the control group, rTMS improved stoke patients' speech function after treatment (WMD=14.36, 95%CI 6.93 to 21.79, P=0.000 2). The results of descriptive analysis showed that, rTMS at Broadmann area 45 (1 Hz, 90% RMT, once 20 or 30 minutes, 2 or 3 weeks as a course with 2-day intervals) possibly had a positive long-term effect on post-stroke patients' speech function. ConclusionrTMS may positively improve stroke patients' speech function. Due to limited quantity and quality of the included studies, more large-scale, multicenter, high quality RCTs are needed to verify the above conclusion.
Aphasia is one of the common disabling lesions and sequelae in stroke patients. In post-stroke aphasia patients, impairments of non-verbal cognitive domain often occur, which seriously affect daily social contact and quality of life. Cognitive neuropsychological rehabilitation is a neuropsychological rehabilitation based on the development of cognitive neuropsychological theory. It is currently applied in the field of rehabilitation of brain cognitive function, opening up a new way for evaluation and treatment of post-stroke aphasia. This paper introduces the general features of the application of cognitive neuropsychological rehabilitation, expounds the evaluation model and treatment principles of cognitive neuropsychological rehabilitation, and discusses its application in the evaluation and treatment of post-stroke aphasia, so as to provide ideas for the linguistic and non-linguistic cognitive rehabilitation of post-stroke aphasia.