Effect of transcranial magnetic stimulation on action naming in patients with Alzheimer disease.

OBJECTIVE To assess the effect of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) on picture naming in patients with Alzheimer disease (AD). DESIGN Experimental study. Patients with AD underwent rTMS in real and control conditions during picture-naming tasks. SETTING San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli Scientific Institute in Brescia, Italy. Patients Fifteen patients with probable AD. Intervention High-frequency rTMS was applied to the left and right DLPFC during object and action naming. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Language ability was assessed by accuracy of verbal response during online rTMS. RESULTS Stimulation to the left and right DLPFC improved accuracy in action naming. CONCLUSIONS These findings indicate that rTMS to the DLPFC, which speeds up action naming in normal controls, improves performance in patients with AD. While the mechanisms of rTMS-induced naming facilitation in these patients are unknown, the procedure may be worth testing as a novel approach to the treatment of language dysfunction.