Auditory Prediction and Error Evaluation in the Speech of Individuals Who Stutter

Arizona State University (ASU)

Status: Enrolling

Conditions: Healthy Subjects; Stuttering, Developmental

Treatments: Behavioral: Auditory errors and pre-speech auditory modulation; Behavioral: Delaying speech initiation; Behavioral: Delaying auditory feedback; Behavioral: Contributions of the speech premotor cortex to pre-speech auditory modulation

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; NIH

Identifiers

NCT06181149

R01DC020162

1R01DC020162-01A1 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Details and patient eligibility

About

Stuttering negatively impacts communication and reduces the overall quality of life and well-being of individuals who stutter. This study will provide a strong foundation for developing neural and behavioral interventions for stuttering. Participants will be asked to name pictures, read words/sentences silently or aloud, and listen to speech and nonspeech sounds while their speech, muscle, and brain signals are collected. Some participants may also receive brain stimulation while reading and speaking.

Enrollment: 300 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 3+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• being a monolingual, native speaker of American English
• absence of developmental, psychological, neurological, or communication disorders (other than developmental stuttering) as confirmed by a certified research SLP
• normal (age-appropriate) binaural pure-tone hearing threshold (0.5-4k Hz; ≤25 dB HL for younger than 70 years, and ≤35 dB HL for older than 70 years)
• not taking any medications that affect the central nervous system
• absence of safety contra-indication for tDCS, TMS and MRI (for adults)
• scoring at the 20th percentile or higher on standardized speech-language tests (for children)

Exclusion criteria

Trial design

Primary purpose: Basic Science

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Double Blind

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300 participants in 4 patient groups

Group 1

Experimental group

Treatment:

Behavioral: Delaying speech initiation

Group 2

Experimental group

Treatment:

Behavioral: Auditory errors and pre-speech auditory modulation

Group 3

Experimental group

Treatment:

Behavioral: Contributions of the speech premotor cortex to pre-speech auditory modulation

Group 4

Experimental group

Treatment:

Behavioral: Delaying auditory feedback