scholarly journals Enlarged Area of Mesencephalic Iron Deposits in Adults Who Stutter

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Liman ◽  
Alexander Wolff von Gudenberg ◽  
Mathias Baehr ◽  
Walter Paulus ◽  
Nicole E. Neef ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Motor Performance ◽  
Finger Tapping ◽  
Transcranial Ultrasound ◽  
Motor Deficit ◽  
Childhood Onset ◽  
Walking Test ◽  
Speech Fluency ◽  
Dopaminergic Dysfunction ◽  
Iron Deposits ◽  
Adults Who Stutter

PurposeChildhood onset speech fluency disorder (stuttering) is possibly related to dopaminergic dysfunction. Mesencephalic hyperechogenicity (ME) detected by transcranial ultrasound (TCS) might be seen as an indirect marker of dopaminergic dysfunction. We here determined whether adults who stutter since childhood (AWS) show ME.MethodsWe performed TCS in ten AWS and ten matched adults who never stuttered. We also assessed motor performance in finger tapping and in the 25 Foot Walking test.ResultsCompared to controls, AWS showed enlarged ME on either side. Finger tapping was slower in AWS. Walking cadence, i.e., the ratio of number of steps by time, tended to be higher in AWS than in control participants.DiscussionThe results demonstrate a motor deficit in AWS linked to dopaminergic dysfunction and extending beyond speech. Since iron deposits evolve in childhood and shrink thereafter, ME might serve as an easily quantifiable biomarker helping to predict the risk of persistency in children who stutter.

scholarly journals Functional and Neuroanatomical Bases of Developmental Stuttering: Current Insights

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 566-582 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soo-Eun Chang ◽  
Emily O. Garnett ◽  
Andrew Etchell ◽  
Ho Ming Chow
Keyword(s):  
General Population ◽  
Speech Production ◽  
Neurodevelopmental Disorder ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Childhood Onset ◽  
Structural Neuroimaging ◽  
The Past ◽  
Adults Who Stutter ◽  
Developmental Stuttering ◽  
Preschool Aged Children

Affecting 5% of all preschool-aged children and 1% of the general population, developmental stuttering—also called childhood-onset fluency disorder—is a complex, multifactorial neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by frequent disruption of the fluent flow of speech. Over the past two decades, neuroimaging studies of both children and adults who stutter have begun to provide significant insights into the neurobiological bases of stuttering. This review highlights convergent findings from this body of literature with a focus on functional and structural neuroimaging results that are supported by theoretically driven neurocomputational models of speech production. Updated views on possible mechanisms of stuttering onset and persistence, and perspectives on promising areas for future research into the mechanisms of stuttering, are discussed.

scholarly journals Investigation of the effect of Delayed Auditory Feedback and transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (DAF-tDCS) treatment for the enhancement of speech fluency in adults who stutter: a Randomized Controlled Trial

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Narges Moein ◽  
Reyhane Mohamadi ◽  
Reza Rostami ◽  
Michael Nitsche ◽  
Reza Zomorrodi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Direct Current ◽  
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Auditory Feedback ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Anodal Tdcs ◽  
Delayed Auditory Feedback ◽  
Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Speech Fluency ◽  
Adults Who Stutter

Abstract Background: With a population prevalence of one percent, stuttering is among the main speech pathology-related topics of research. Adults who stutter may benefit from transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) as an adjunctive intervention for enhancing speech fluency. In this study, Delayed Auditory Feedback (DAF) was combined with tDCS applied over the superior temporal gyrus. It was anticipated that intervention caused improvements of speech fluency become more stable.Methods: A randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled clinical trial was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of intervention in enhancing speech fluency. Fifty participants were randomly allocated the intervention or control group. In the intervention group, participants received DAF combined with anodal tDCS, while the control group was exposed to sham tDCS simultaneously with DAF. Each subject participated in six intervention sessions. Speech fluency was assessed before intervention as baseline, as well as immediately, one week and six weeks after intervention.Results: In the intervention group, the percentage of stuttered syllables was significantly reduced immediately, one week and six weeks after the intervention, as compared with the control group. The scores of the Stuttering Severity Instrument, also showed a significant reduction in the intervention group compared with the control group. No significant difference was found in the Overall Assessment of the Speaker’s Experience of Stuttering questionnaire scores between the two patient two groups after intervention.Conclusion: The results of this study propose anodal tDCS as an adjunctive method to increase speech fluency in stuttering for a prolonged time course after intervention, when combined with fluency therapy.Trial registration: This trial was registered in ClinicalTrial.gov before recruiting the subjects. The registration number is NCT03990168 and the date of registration is June 18, 2019. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03990168

Abstract TMP31: Peripheral Nerve Stimulation Paired with Constraint-Induced Therapy to Enhance Post-Stroke Upper Extremity Motor Performance

Stroke ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 44 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheryl Carrico ◽  
KC Chelette ◽  
Laurie Nichols ◽  
Lumy Sawaki
Keyword(s):  
Peripheral Nerve ◽  
Upper Extremity ◽  
Motor Function ◽  
Nerve Stimulation ◽  
Motor Performance ◽  
Motor Recovery ◽  
Peripheral Nerve Stimulation ◽  
Motor Deficit ◽  
Motor Training ◽  
Post Stroke

Research has shown that peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) can enhance motor learning following cortical lesions. Studies have also shown that intensive upper extremity motor training can significantly enhance post-stroke motor performance. Constraint-induced therapy (CIT) is a form of intensive training that restricts use of the non-paretic upper extremity during repetitive, task-oriented motor training of the paretic extremity. Extensive evidence has validated the effectiveness of CIT for enhancing post-stroke upper extremity motor recovery. No studies have evaluated how PNS may modulate the effects of CIT. Therefore, we conducted a pilot study of PNS paired with CIT and hypothesized that in subjects with stroke, pairing CIT with active PNS would lead to significantly more improved motor function in the paretic upper extremity than CIT paired with sham PNS. Outcome measures included the Fugl-Meyer Assessment Scale (FMA; primary outcome measure), the Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT), and the Action Research Arm Test (ARAT). Nineteen chronic stroke subjects with mild to moderate upper extremity motor deficit received 2 hours of either active (n=10) or sham (n=9) PNS preceding 4 hours of CIT for 10 consecutive weekdays. Changes in FMA, WMFT, and ARAT were analyzed using factorial ANOVA. Results showed significant (p<0.05) change in all measures at completion evaluation compared with baseline (FMA (p=0.005); WMFT (p=0.030); ARAT (p=0.020)) as well as 1-month follow-up compared with baseline (FMA (p=0.048); WMFT (p=0.045); ARAT (p=0.047)). These results highlight the enormous potential for PNS paired with CIT to enhance post-stroke upper extremity motor recovery more effectively than CIT alone.

scholarly journals Modified behavioural tests to detect white matter injury- induced motor deficits after intracerebral haemorrhage in mice

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Weixiang Chen ◽  
Min Xia ◽  
Chao Guo ◽  
Zhengcai Jia ◽  
Jie Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Grip Strength ◽  
Motor Function ◽  
Intracerebral Haemorrhage ◽  
Strength Test ◽  
White Matter Injury ◽  
Motor Deficit ◽  
Motor Deficits ◽  
Walking Test ◽  
Behavioural Tests

AbstractMotor function deficit induced by white matter injury (WMI) is one of the most severe complications of intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH). The degree of WMI is closely related to the prognosis of patients after ICH. However, the current behavioural assessment of motor function used in the ICH mouse model is mainly based on that for ischaemic stroke and lacks the behavioural methods that accurately respond to WMI. Here, a series of easy-to-implement behavioural tests were performed to detect motor deficits in mice after ICH. The results showed that the grip strength test and the modified pole test not only can better distinguish the degree of motor dysfunction between different volumes of blood ICH models than the Basso Mouse Scale and the beam walking test but can also accurately reflect the severity of WMI characterized by demyelination, axonal swelling and the latency of motor-evoked potential delay induced by ICH. In addition, after ICH, the results of grip tests and modified pole tests, rather than the Basso Mouse Scale and the beam walking test, were worse than those observed after intraventricular haemorrhage (IVH), which was used as a model of brain haemorrhage in non-white matter areas. These results indicate that the grip strength test and the modified pole test have advantages in detecting the degree of motor deficit induced by white matter injury after ICH in mice.

scholarly journals Investigation of the effect of Delayed Auditory Feedback and transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (DAF-tDCS) treatment for the enhancement of speech fluency in adults who stutter: a Randomized Controlled Trial

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Narges Moein ◽  
Reyhane Mohamadi ◽  
Reza Rostami ◽  
Michael Nitsche ◽  
Reza Zomorrodi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Direct Current ◽  
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Auditory Feedback ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Anodal Tdcs ◽  
Delayed Auditory Feedback ◽  
Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Speech Fluency ◽  
Adults Who Stutter

Abstract Background: With a population prevalence of one percent, stuttering is among the main speech pathology-related topics of research. Adults who stutter may benefit from transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) as an adjunctive intervention for enhancing speech fluency. In this study, Delayed Auditory Feedback (DAF) was combined with tDCS applied over the superior temporal gyrus. It was anticipated that the combined intervention cause improvements in speech fluency.Methods: A randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled clinical trial was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of intervention in enhancing speech fluency. Fifty participants were randomly allocated to the intervention or control group. In the intervention group, participants received DAF combined with anodal tDCS, while the control group was exposed to sham tDCS simultaneously with DAF. Each subject participated in six intervention sessions. Speech fluency was assessed as the baseline, before intervention as well as immediately, one week and six weeks after intervention. Results: In the intervention group, the percentage of stuttered syllables was significantly reduced immediately, one week and six weeks after the intervention, as compared with the control group. The scores of the Stuttering Severity Instrument, also showed a significant reduction in the intervention group compared with the control group. No significant difference was found in the Overall Assessment of the Speaker’s Experience of Stuttering questionnaire scores between the two groups after intervention. Conclusion: The results of this study propose anodal tDCS as an adjunctive method to increase speech fluency in stuttering for a prolonged time course after intervention, when combined with fluency therapy.Trial registration: This trial was registered in ClinicalTrial.gov before recruiting the subjects. The registration number is NCT03990168 and the date of registration is June 18, 2019. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03990168

scholarly journals Rhythmic tapping difficulties in adults who stutter: a deficit in Central Clock and/or Motor Implementation?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anneke Slis ◽  
Christophe Savariaux ◽  
Pascal Perrier ◽  
Maeva Garnier
Keyword(s):  
Musical Training ◽  
Phase Locking ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Time Estimation ◽  
Motor Deficit ◽  
Motor Execution ◽  
External Stimulation ◽  
Central Clock ◽  
Adults Who Stutter ◽  
Reaction Task

The study aims to better understand the origin of increased tapping variability and inaccuracy in people who stutter during paced and un-paced tapping. The overall question is to what extent these timing difficulties are related to a central clock deficit, a deficit in motor execution, or both.Finger tapping behavior of 16 adults who stutter (PWS) with different levels of musical training was compared with performance of 16 matching controls (PNS) in three finger tapping synchronization tasks ― a simple 1:1 isochronous pattern, a complex non-isochronous pattern, and a 4 tap:1 beat isochronous pattern ―, a continuation task (without external stimulation), and a reaction task involving aperiodic and unpredictable patterns. The results show that PWS exhibited larger negative asynchrony (expressed as phase angles), and increased synchronization variability (expressed as phase locking values) in paced tapping tasks, and that these differences from the PNS group were modulated by rhythmic complexity and musical training. The tapping asynchrony with a simple isochronous pattern correlated significantly with the average inter-tap duration, and with tap reaction times during the reaction task. The synchronization variability with a simple isochronous pattern correlated significantly with both the central clock and motor implementation variances as extracted during un-paced tapping, according to the Wing and Kristofferson’s model of timing.The results support the idea that increased tapping variability of PWS is associated with both a central clock and a motor execution deficit. The greater Negative Mean Asynchrony of PWS does not appear to be attributable to a deficit in time estimation but rather to a motor deficit. Several models and theories related to deficits in sensorimotor integration were considered to explain the interactions with beat strength, pattern complexity, and musical training.

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