Abstract
Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) has become a common method to study the interrelations between the brain and language functioning. This meta-analysis examined the efficacy of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and direct current stimulation (tDCS) in the study of language production in healthy volunteers. Forty-five effect sizes from 30 studies which investigated the effects of NIBS on picture naming or verbal fluency in healthy participants were meta-analysed. Further sub-analyses investigated potential influences of stimulation type, control, target site, task, online vs. offline application, and current density of the target electrode. Random effects modelling showed a small, but reliable effect of NIBS on language production. Subsequent analyses indicated larger weighted mean effect sizes for TMS as compared to tDCS studies. No statistical differences for the other sub-analyses were observed. We conclude that NIBS is a useful method for neuroscientific studies on language production in healthy volunteers.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 10-22 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Journal | Brain and Cognition |
| Volume | 123 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Jun 2018 |
Keywords
- Adult
- Brain/physiology
- Healthy Volunteers
- Humans
- Language
- Speech/physiology
- Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation/methods
- Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation/methods
- Language production
- Meta-analysis
- Picture naming
- verbal fluency
- TMS
- tDCS