Auditory Prediction and Error Evaluation in the Speech of Individuals Who Stutter
Trial Snapshot
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Status
- Recruiting
- Sponsor
- Arizona State University
- Enrollment
- 300
- Locations
- 2
- Primary Endpoint
- change in speech when participants experience auditory errors
Study Overview
Brief Summary
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.
Study Design
- Study Type
- Interventional
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Intervention Model
- Parallel
- Primary Purpose
- Basic Science
- Masking
- Double (Participant, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility Criteria
- Ages
- 3 Years to — (Child, Adult, Older Adult)
- Sex
- All
- Accepts Healthy Volunteers
- Yes
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
- Not provided
Arms & Interventions
Group 1
Intervention: Delaying speech initiation (Behavioral)
Group 2
Intervention: Auditory errors and pre-speech auditory modulation (Behavioral)
Group 3
Intervention: Contributions of the speech premotor cortex to pre-speech auditory modulation (Behavioral)
Group 4
Intervention: Delaying auditory feedback (Behavioral)
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
change in speech when participants experience auditory errors
Time Frame: within each session of the study that may last up to 2 hours
In each trial, participants will experience an auditory error while they produce speech (e.g., they may say "head" but hear "had"). The investigators will measure how the participants' speech changes due to auditory errors that they experience in the current trial. For this p\[purpose, the investigators will use commercial microphones to record speech signals and then examine the amplitude of the speech in specific frequency ranges (measured in Hertz; Hz). The frequencies (Hz) of speech in trials with auditory errors will be compared with those without auditory errors.
Change in brain activity before and during speaking
Time Frame: within each session of the study that may last up to 2 hours
Participants will hear speech sounds in each trial before speaking or reading words. Participants' brain activity will be recorded while completing the speaking or reading tasks. The investigators will measure how the participant's brain activity in response to the played sounds changes during speaking and reading tasks. For this purpose, the investigators will measure the amplitude of the brain activity (in microvolts; µV) measured using a commercial electroencephalography system. The amplitude (µV) of the brain signals will be examined both before speaking and during speaking at two time points.
Secondary Outcomes
No secondary outcomes reported