Marangolo 2013b.
| Methods | Randomised controlled cross‐over trial | |
| Participants | Country: Italy 8 participants (4 men, 4 women) with single left hemispheric stroke and non‐fluent aphasia with concurrent apraxia of speech were included; mean age (SD): 55 (9) years; time since stroke (SD): 29 (24) months; education level (SD): 12 (4) years; token test (SD): 11 (2) out of 36 Inclusion criteria: native Italian proficiency, pre‐morbid right‐handedness, single left hemispheric stroke, time since stroke at least 6 months, no acute or chronic neurological conditions requiring medication Exclusion criteria: not clearly described |
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| Interventions | Each participant underwent all of the following conditions with a 14‐day intersession interval between each condition: A: patient‐tailored speech therapy plus A‐tDCS over the left inferior frontal gyrus (Broca's area) and C‐tDCS over the contralesional inferior frontal gyrus with 2 mA (20 minutes per weekday on 10 consecutive sessions) B: patient‐tailored speech therapy plus sham tDCS with the electrodes positioned as in (A) (20 minutes per weekday on 10 consecutive sessions) |
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| Outcomes | Outcomes were recorded at baseline, at the end of intervention phase and 1 week after the end of intervention phase: ‐ accuracy of naming (continuous; ranging from 0 to 100 with a higher value indicating better performance) ‐ vocal reaction time (0 to infinity with a lower value indicating better performance) |
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| Notes | ||
| Risk of bias | ||
| Bias | Authors' judgement | Support for judgement |
| Random sequence generation (selection bias) | Unclear risk | Not described by the study authors |
| Allocation concealment (selection bias) | Unclear risk | Not described by the study authors |
| Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias) Objective outcomes | Low risk | Quote: "Both the patient and the clinician were blinded with respect to the administration of tDCS." |
| Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias) Objective outcomes | Low risk | Quote: "Both the patient and the clinician were blinded with respect to the administration of tDCS." |
| Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) Objective outcomes | Low risk | Objective outcome measures: all participants apparently completed the study. No treatment withdrawals, no trial group changes and no major adverse events stated |
| Selective reporting (reporting bias) | Unclear risk | All outcomes listed in the 'Methods' section reported, no protocol could be identified |
| Other bias | Low risk | No other bias identified |