RecruitingNot ApplicableNCT05437159

Investigating Speech Sequencing in Neurotypical Speakers and Persons With Disordered Speech

Sequencing and Initiation in Speech Production: Investigating Speech Sequencing in Neurotypical Speakers, Persons Who Stutter, and Persons With Primary Progressive Aphasia

Sponsor

Boston University Charles River Campus

Enrollment

2 participants

Start Date

Apr 3, 2023

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Conditions

Aphasia, Primary Progressive Stuttering, Developmental

Summary

Persistent developmental stuttering affects more than three million people in the United States, and it can have profound adverse effects on quality of life. Despite its prevalence and negative impact, stuttering has resisted explanation and effective treatment, due in large part to a poor understanding of the neural processing impairments underlying the disorder. The overall goal of this study is to improve understanding of the brain mechanisms involved in speech motor planning and how these are disrupted in neurogenic speech disorders, like stuttering. The investigators will do this through an integrated combination of experiments that involve speech production, functional MRI, and non-invasive brain stimulation. The study is designed to test hypotheses regarding the brain processes involved in learning and initiating new speech sound sequences and how those processes compare in persons with persistent developmental stuttering and those with typical speech development. These processes will be studied in both adults and children. Additionally, these processes will be investigated in patients with neurodegenerative speech disorders (primary progressive aphasia) to further inform the investigators understanding of the neural mechanisms that support speech motor sequence learning. Together these experiments will result in an improved account of the brain mechanisms underlying speech production in fluent speakers and individuals who stutter, thereby paving the way for the development of new therapies and technologies for addressing this disorder.

Eligibility

Min Age: 6 Years

Plain Language Summary

Simplified for easier understanding

This clinical trial is studying a medical device called Anodal tDCS, a behavioral approach called Learning of non-native phoneme combinations: 1 training session, and others for people with aphasia, primary progressive and stuttering, developmental. The study is currently recruiting participants at 3 locations. People eligible for this study include aged 6 Years and older.

This summary was AI-generated to explain the trial in plain language. It is not medical advice. Always discuss eligibility with your doctor before enrolling in a clinical trial.

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Interventions

BEHAVIORALLearning of non-native phoneme combinations: 6 training sessions

Each trial of the training sessions will follow a simple reaction time protocol in which a nonsense syllable containing novel consonant clusters (e.g., GDADK) is produced as quickly and accurately as possible after an auditory prompt presented via earphones. During each training session, the participant will practice producing a set of 8 stimuli (the Fully Learned stimuli). Each of the 8 Fully Learned stimuli will be produced 60 times over the 6 training sessions.

BEHAVIORALLearning of non-native phoneme combinations: 1 training session

Each trial of the training sessions will follow a simple reaction time protocol in which a nonsense syllable containing novel consonant clusters (e.g., GDADK) is produced as quickly and accurately as possible after an auditory prompt presented via earphones. During the training session, the participant will practice producing a set of 3 stimuli (the Fully Learned stimuli). Each of the 3 Fully Learned stimuli will be produced 60 times.

BEHAVIORALLearning of novel multisyllabic nonwords

Each trial of the training sessions (total of 6 training sessions over 2 days) will follow a simple reaction time protocol in which a nonword stimulus formed by 2 or 3 syllables that are legal in American English is presented auditorily to the participant, who then produces the stimulus as quickly and accurately as possible. During training, each participant will repeatedly produce 6 nonwords, with each nonword produced a total of 60 times over the 6 training sessions.

DEVICEAnodal tDCS

Continuous anodal tDCS is delivered to a speech processing area of the brain during a 19-minute speech training session. The tDCS stimulation will ramp up to its maximum value (2 milliamperes) in the minute prior to the training session and maintained at that level throughout the session.

DEVICESham tDCS

Sham tDCS stimulation is delivered to a speech processing area of the brain during a 19-minute speech training session. During the minute prior to training onset, the tDCS stimulator is ramped up to 2 milliamperes and then back down to 0.

BEHAVIORALLearning of non-native phoneme combinations: 8 training sessions

Each trial of the training sessions will follow a simple reaction time protocol in which a nonsense syllable containing novel consonant clusters (e.g., GDADK) is produced as quickly and accurately as possible after an auditory prompt presented via earphones. During each training session, the participant will practice producing a set of 3 stimuli (the Fully Learned stimuli). Each of the 3 Fully Learned stimuli will be produced 120 times over the 8 training sessions.