Facilitation of picture naming after repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation

TLDR

rTMS over frontal or parietal regions of the dominant hemisphere has been shown to disrupt ongoing speech processes. The study aimed to examine how rTMS influences picture naming performance. Participants received 20‑Hz, 2‑second rTMS trains at 55 % maximum output to Wernicke’s area, its right‑hemisphere homologue, Broca’s area, or primary visual cortex, after which they named 20 line drawings immediately and again two minutes later. Stimulation of Wernicke’s area produced a rapid, significant reduction in naming latency, whereas stimulation of other sites or at later times had no effect, indicating a brief facilitation of picture naming.

Abstract

<b><i>Objective:</i></b> To investigate the effect of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on picture naming. <b><i>Background:</i></b> Previous studies have shown that rTMS disrupts ongoing speech processes when delivered over frontal or parietal areas of the dominant hemisphere. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> In 15 healthy right-handed male individuals, rTMS trains of 20 Hz with a duration of 2 seconds and an intensity of 55% of maximum stimulator output were delivered either to Wernicke's area, to the right-hemisphere homologue of Wernicke's area, to Broca's area, or to the primary visual cortex. Twenty black-and-white line drawings, which the individuals had to name as quickly as possible, were shown immediately after the completion of rTMS and again 2 minutes later. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Immediately after the end of a train over Wernicke's area a shortening of naming latency was observed compared with naming without rTMS (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.001). No significant effects on picture naming were observed 2 minutes later or at any time after stimulation of the right-hemisphere homologues of Wernicke's area, Broca's area, or the visual cortex. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation over Wernicke's area leads to a brief facilitation of picture naming by shortening linguistic processing time.