Stimulating the motor thalamus at the usual 130 Hz is often thought to impair speech. A University of Pittsburgh team tried lower frequencies. Low-frequency stimulation (50–80 Hz) facilitated corticobulbar fibers and immediately potentiated motor output in eight participants with intact pathways. In a participant with a traumatic brain injury, it improved facial movement, swallowing efficiency and speech intelligibility. Intelligibility gains ranged from 8 to 20%
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