The Effects of Brain Stimulation on Speech Fluency in Adults Who Stutter

The University of Hong Kong (HKU)

Status: Enrolling

Conditions: Stuttering, Adult

Treatments: Device: rTMS (Repetitive TMS); Behavioral: Speech training

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05472181

TMS_stuttering

Details and patient eligibility

About

The project is leading to investigate the effects of neuromodulation techniques on speech fluency among adults who stutter (AWS). While stuttering is responsive to a variety of treatments in childhood, this is not the case for AWS. Behavioural treatments to reduce stuttering for adults typically consist of speech restructuring methods, which involves the person using one of the altered speech patterns known to increase fluency, such as chorus reading, speaking in rhythm, and prolonging (smoothing/stretching out) speech sounds. Research has shown that behavioural interventions such as these change brain activation patterns in the regions associated with stuttering. Unfortunately, around 70% of AWS who receive these speech restructuring treatments do not maintain the benefits in the longer term and frequently re-present to speech clinics. The aim of this proposed research is to explore whether the brain stimulation using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) can consistently enhance effects of behavioural stuttering therapy by examining their responsiveness to the treatment across different outcome measures including a) immediate effect on different speaking contexts, and b) the maintenance of effects over one week after therapy.

Enrollment: 18 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 60 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• adults who stutter without any other speech, language or cognitive problems

Exclusion criteria

• have any history of neurological and other speech and language problems
• condition that are violating the safety criteria for TMS
• any history of epilepsy, and brain damage,
• having any metal plant or cardiac pace-maker in the body,
• current pregnancy

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Crossover Assignment

Masking: Triple Blind

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18 participants in 2 patient groups

rTMS (Repetitive TMS)

Active Comparator group

Description:

The rTMS group will receive 30 minutes of excitatory rTMS (i.e., 60 trains of 10 Hz pulses for 5 second with over 120% of motor threshold) over SMA combined with speech training (for 25 seconds during the 60 inter-train intervals) for five sessions

Treatment:

Device: rTMS (Repetitive TMS)

Behavioral: Speech training

Sham

Sham Comparator group

Description:

The sham group will receive 30 minutes of sham rTMS (no magnetic stimulation) over SMA combined with speech training (for 25 seconds during the 60 inter-train intervals) for five sessions.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Speech training