Meta-Analysis on the Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Naming of Elderly with Primary Progressive Aphasia

Purpose: This study aimed to conduct a qualitative evaluation by synthesizing previous studies on the effect of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on primary progressive aphasia (PPA)’s naming ability and prove the effects of tDCS mediation on PPA naming using meta-analysis. Methods: This study searched literature published from January 2000 to July 2019 using four academic databases (i.e., PubMed, Web of Science, MEDLINE, and Cochrane Library). The final seven publications were systematically evaluated and meta-analysis was conducted for two papers. The effect size was estimated by a standard mean difference (SMD) using Hedge’s g, and the significance of effect size was confirmed using the 95% confidence interval. Results: The results of seven previous studies’ quality assessments ranged from 15 to 26, which were rated above adequate. The results of the meta-analysis showed that the effect size was 0.82 (95% CI: 0.16–1.47), which was a significant ‘large effect’. Conclusions: This meta-analysis proved that tDCS intervention significantly improved the naming performance of PPA. Future studies must confirm the effects of tDCS on naming intervention by using meta-analysis including many RCT studies.