Table 1 Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria

1. Aphasia after stroke

2. Less than 3 months post onset

3. Age 18–80 years

4. Near-native speaker of Dutch

5. Being right-handed

6. Able to participate in intensive therapy

Exclusion criteria

1. Subarachnoid hemorrhage

2. Prior stroke resulting in aphasia

3. Brain surgery in the past

4. Epileptic activity in the past 12 months

5. Premorbid (suspected) dementia

6. Premorbid psychiatric disease affecting communication (for example, personality disorder)

7. Excessive use of alcohol or drugs

8. Presence of a cardiac pacemaker

9. Severe non-linguistic cognitive disturbances impeding language therapy

10. Global aphasia, defined as Shortened Token Test score <9 [50] and score 0 on the Aphasia Severity Rating Scale [41]

11. Severe Wernicke’s aphasia, defined as Shortened Token Test score <9 and score 0–1 on the Aphasia Severity Rating Scale

12. Residual aphasia, defined as Shortened Token Test score >28 and score 4–5 on the Aphasia Severity Rating Scale and Boston Naming Test score >150 [40]