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Liu W, Ma D, Cao C, Liu S, Ma X, Jia F, Li P, Zhang H, Liao Y, Qu H. Abnormal cerebral blood flow in children with developmental stuttering. Pediatr Res 2024:10.1038/s41390-024-03359-1. [PMID: 38914760 DOI: 10.1038/s41390-024-03359-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2023] [Revised: 03/30/2024] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 06/26/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Stuttering affects approximately 5% of children; however, its neurological basis remains unclear. Identifying imaging biomarkers could aid in early detection. Accordingly, we investigated resting-state cerebral blood flow (CBF) in children with developmental stuttering. METHODS Pulsed arterial spin labelling magnetic resonance imaging was utilised to quantify CBF in 35 children with developmental stuttering and 27 healthy controls. We compared normalised CBF between the two groups and evaluated the correlation between abnormal CBF and clinical indicators. RESULTS Compared with healthy controls, the stuttering group exhibited decreased normalised CBF in the cerebellum lobule VI bilaterally, right cuneus, and left superior occipital gyrus and increased CBF in the right medial superior frontal gyrus, left rectus, and left dorsolateral superior frontal gyrus. Additionally, normalised CBF in the left cerebellum lobule VI and left superior occipital gyrus was positively correlated with stuttering severity. CONCLUSIONS Children who stutter display decreased normalised CBF primarily in the cerebellum and occipital gyrus, with increased normalised CBF in the frontal gyrus. Additionally, the abnormal CBF in the left cerebellum lobule VI and left superior occipital gyrus was associated with more severe symptoms, suggesting that decreased CBF in these areas may serve as a novel neuroimaging clue for stuttering. IMPACT Stuttering occurs in 5% of children and often extends into adulthood, which may negatively affect quality of life. Early detection and treatment are essential. We used pulsed arterial spin labelling magnetic resonance imaging to visualise the resting-state cerebral blood flow (CBF) in children who stutter and healthy children. Normalised CBF was decreased in stutterers in the cerebellum and occipital gyrus and increased in the frontal gyrus. Stuttering severity was linked to abnormal normalised CBF in the left cerebellum lobule VI and left superior occipital gyrus, suggesting that CBF may serve as a novel neuroimaging clue for stuttering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wanqing Liu
- Department of Radiology, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
- Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children (Sichuan University), Ministry of Education, Chengdu, China
| | - Dan Ma
- Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children (Sichuan University), Ministry of Education, Chengdu, China
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, West China Second University Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Chuanlong Cao
- The Fourth People's Hospital of Chengdu, Chengdu, China
| | - Sai Liu
- Department of Radiology, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
- Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children (Sichuan University), Ministry of Education, Chengdu, China
| | - XinMao Ma
- Department of Radiology, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
- Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children (Sichuan University), Ministry of Education, Chengdu, China
| | - Fenglin Jia
- Department of Radiology, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
- Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children (Sichuan University), Ministry of Education, Chengdu, China
| | - Pei Li
- Department of Radiology, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
- Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children (Sichuan University), Ministry of Education, Chengdu, China
| | - Hui Zhang
- Department of Radiology, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
- Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children (Sichuan University), Ministry of Education, Chengdu, China
| | - Yi Liao
- Department of Radiology, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
- Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children (Sichuan University), Ministry of Education, Chengdu, China.
| | - Haibo Qu
- Department of Radiology, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
- Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children (Sichuan University), Ministry of Education, Chengdu, China.
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Taubert M, Ziegler G, Lehmann N. Higher surface folding of the human premotor cortex is associated with better long-term learning capability. Commun Biol 2024; 7:635. [PMID: 38796622 PMCID: PMC11127997 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06309-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 05/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/28/2024] Open
Abstract
The capacity to learn enabled the human species to adapt to various challenging environmental conditions and pass important achievements on to the next generation. A growing body of research suggests links between neocortical folding properties and numerous aspects of human behavior, but their impact on enhanced human learning capacity remains unexplored. Here we leverage three training cohorts to demonstrate that higher levels of premotor cortical folding reliably predict individual long-term learning gains in a challenging new motor task, above and beyond initial performance differences. Individual folding-related predisposition to motor learning was found to be independent of cortical thickness and intracortical microstructure, but dependent on larger cortical surface area in premotor regions. We further show that learning-relevant features of cortical folding occurred in close spatial proximity to practice-induced structural brain plasticity. Our results suggest a link between neocortical surface folding and human behavioral adaptability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Taubert
- Department of Sport Science, Institute III, Faculty of Humanities, Otto von Guericke University, Zschokkestraße 32, 39104, Magdeburg, Germany.
- Center for Behavioral and Brain Science (CBBS), Otto von Guericke University, Universitätsplatz 2, 39106, Magdeburg, Germany.
- Collaborative Research Center 1436 Neural Resources of Cognition, Otto von Guericke University, Leipziger Str. 44, 39120, Magdeburg, Germany.
| | - Gabriel Ziegler
- Collaborative Research Center 1436 Neural Resources of Cognition, Otto von Guericke University, Leipziger Str. 44, 39120, Magdeburg, Germany
- Germany German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Leipziger Straße 44, 39120, Magdeburg, Germany
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto von Guericke University, Leipziger Str. 44, 39120, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Nico Lehmann
- Department of Sport Science, Institute III, Faculty of Humanities, Otto von Guericke University, Zschokkestraße 32, 39104, Magdeburg, Germany
- Collaborative Research Center 1436 Neural Resources of Cognition, Otto von Guericke University, Leipziger Str. 44, 39120, Magdeburg, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1a, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
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Erdemir A, Walden TA, Tilsen S, Mefferd AS, Jones RM. A Preliminary Study of Speech Rhythm Differences as Markers of Stuttering Persistence in Preschool-Age Children. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2023; 66:931-950. [PMID: 36827517 PMCID: PMC10205104 DOI: 10.1044/2022_jslhr-22-00126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Revised: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 12/01/2022] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE The purpose of this study was twofold: (a) to determine whether there are speech rhythm differences between preschool-age children who stutter that were eventually diagnosed as persisting (CWS-Per) or recovered (CWS-Rec) and children who do not stutter (CWNS), using empirical spectral analysis and empirical mode decomposition of the speech amplitude envelope, and (b) to determine whether speech rhythm characteristics close to onset are predictive of later persistence. METHOD Fifty children (3-4 years of age) participated in the study. Approximately 2-2.5 years after the experimental testing took place, children were assigned to the following groups: CWS-Per (nine boys, one girl), CWS-Rec (18 boys, two girls), and CWNS (18 boys, two girls). All children produced a narrative based on a text-free storybook. From the audio recordings of these narratives, fluent utterances were selected for each child from which seven envelope-based measures were extracted. Group-based differences on each measure as well as predictive analyses were conducted to identify measures that discriminate CWS-Per versus CWS-Rec. RESULTS CWS-Per were found to have a relatively higher degree of power in suprasyllabic oscillations and greater variability in the timing of syllabic rhythms especially for longer utterances. A logistic regression model using two speech rhythm measures was able to discriminate the eventual outcome of recovery versus persistence, with 80% sensitivity and 75% specificity. CONCLUSION Findings suggest that envelope-based speech rhythm measures are a promising approach to assess speech rhythm differences in developmental stuttering, and its potential for identification of children at risk of developing persistent stuttering should be investigated further.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aysu Erdemir
- Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
| | - Tedra A. Walden
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
| | - Sam Tilsen
- Department of Linguistics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
| | - Antje S. Mefferd
- Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
| | - Robin M. Jones
- Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
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Johnson CA, Liu Y, Waller N, Chang SE. Tract profiles of the cerebellar peduncles in children who stutter. Brain Struct Funct 2022; 227:1773-1787. [PMID: 35220486 PMCID: PMC9743081 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-022-02471-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Accepted: 02/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Cerebellar-cortical loops comprise critical neural circuitry that supports self-initiated movements and motor adjustments in response to perceived errors, functions that are affected in stuttering. It is unknown whether structural aspects of cerebellar circuitry are affected in stuttering, particularly in children close to symptom onset. Here we examined white matter diffusivity characteristics of the three cerebellar peduncles (CPs) based on diffusion MRI (dMRI) data collected from 41 children who stutter (CWS) and 42 controls in the 3-11 years range. We hypothesized that CWS would exhibit decreased fractional anisotropy (FA) in the right CPs given the contralateral connectivity of the cerebellar-cortical loops and past reports of structural differences in left cortical areas in stuttering speakers. Automatic Fiber Quantification (AFQ) was used to track and segment cerebellar white matter pathways and to extract diffusivity measures. We found significant group differences for FA in the right inferior CP (ICP) only: controls showed significantly higher FA in the right ventral ICP compared to CWS, controlling for age, sex, and verbal IQ. Furthermore, FA of right ICP was negatively correlated with stuttering frequency in CWS. These results suggest an early developmental difference in the right ICP for CWS compared to age-matched peers, which may indicate an alteration in error processing, a function previously linked to the ICP. Lower FA here may impact error monitoring and sensory input processing to guide motor corrections. Further longitudinal investigations in children may provide additional insights into how CP development links to stuttering persistence and recovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chelsea A Johnson
- Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Yanni Liu
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Noah Waller
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Soo-Eun Chang
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
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Pulli EP, Silver E, Kumpulainen V, Copeland A, Merisaari H, Saunavaara J, Parkkola R, Lähdesmäki T, Saukko E, Nolvi S, Kataja EL, Korja R, Karlsson L, Karlsson H, Tuulari JJ. Feasibility of FreeSurfer Processing for T1-Weighted Brain Images of 5-Year-Olds: Semiautomated Protocol of FinnBrain Neuroimaging Lab. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:874062. [PMID: 35585923 PMCID: PMC9108497 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.874062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2022] [Accepted: 04/12/2022] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Pediatric neuroimaging is a quickly developing field that still faces important methodological challenges. Pediatric images usually have more motion artifact than adult images. The artifact can cause visible errors in brain segmentation, and one way to address it is to manually edit the segmented images. Variability in editing and quality control protocols may complicate comparisons between studies. In this article, we describe in detail the semiautomated segmentation and quality control protocol of structural brain images that was used in FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study and relies on the well-established FreeSurfer v6.0 and ENIGMA (Enhancing Neuro Imaging Genetics through Meta Analysis) consortium tools. The participants were typically developing 5-year-olds [n = 134, 5.34 (SD 0.06) years, 62 girls]. Following a dichotomous quality rating scale for inclusion and exclusion of images, we explored the quality on a region of interest level to exclude all regions with major segmentation errors. The effects of manual edits on cortical thickness values were relatively minor: less than 2% in all regions. Supplementary Material cover registration and additional edit options in FreeSurfer and comparison to the computational anatomy toolbox (CAT12). Overall, we conclude that despite minor imperfections FreeSurfer can be reliably used to segment cortical metrics from T1-weighted images of 5-year-old children with appropriate quality assessment in place. However, custom templates may be needed to optimize the results for the subcortical areas. Through visual assessment on a level of individual regions of interest, our semiautomated segmentation protocol is hopefully helpful for investigators working with similar data sets, and for ensuring high quality pediatric neuroimaging data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elmo P. Pulli
- Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Department of Psychiatry, Turku University Hospital, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- *Correspondence: Elmo P. Pulli, ; orcid.org/0000-0003-3871-8563
| | - Eero Silver
- Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Department of Psychiatry, Turku University Hospital, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Venla Kumpulainen
- Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Department of Psychiatry, Turku University Hospital, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Anni Copeland
- Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Harri Merisaari
- Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Department of Radiology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Jani Saunavaara
- Department of Medical Physics, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
| | - Riitta Parkkola
- Department of Radiology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Department of Radiology, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
| | - Tuire Lähdesmäki
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Turku University Hospital, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Ekaterina Saukko
- Department of Radiology, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
| | - Saara Nolvi
- Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Turku Institute for Advanced Studies, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Department of Psychology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Eeva-Leena Kataja
- Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Riikka Korja
- Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Department of Psychology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Linnea Karlsson
- Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Department of Psychiatry, Turku University Hospital, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Centre for Population Health Research, Turku University Hospital, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Hasse Karlsson
- Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Department of Psychiatry, Turku University Hospital, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Centre for Population Health Research, Turku University Hospital, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Jetro J. Tuulari
- Turku Brain and Mind Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Department of Psychiatry, Turku University Hospital, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Turku Collegium for Science, Medicine and Technology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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Costa JB, Ritto AP, Juste F, Sassi FC, de Andrade CRF. Risk Factors for the Development of Persistent Stuttering: What Every Pediatrician Should Know. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19095225. [PMID: 35564619 PMCID: PMC9101135 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19095225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Revised: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022]
Abstract
Early identification and adequate treatment of children who stutter is important, since it has an impact on speech development. Considering the importance of aiding pediatricians to recognize children at risk for developing persistent stuttering, the aim of the present study was to correlate speech fluency characteristics of children, whose parents reported stuttering behaviors, to the risk factors of persistent stuttering. The participants were 419 children aged 2:0 to 11:11 years, who were divided into two groups: children with stuttering complaints (CSC), composed of children whose parents reported the presence of stuttering behaviors; and children with no stuttering complaint (CNSCs), composed of children with no stuttering behaviors. Risk variables were gathered based on a questionnaire answered by parents involving the following variables: sex, presence of family history of stuttering, whether stuttering behaviors were observed for more than 12 months, whether stuttering behaviors began before 5 years of age, increased effort to speak (i.e., syllable and sound repetitions and fixed articulatory positions), negative family attitude towards the child’s speech, and negative attitude towards the child’s own speech. The diagnosis of stuttering was determined by a formal speech assessment by a pathologist (SLP). The risk analysis indicated that increased effort to speak, negative family attitude towards the child’s speech, and complaints of stuttering for more than 12 months were associated with a higher risk of stuttering in children. Therefore, when pediatricians are faced with complaints about the presence of stuttering behaviors and these factors are present, they should immediately refer the patient to an SLP for specific assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Biancalana Costa
- Division of Oral Myology—Hospital das Clinicas, School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, Sao Paulo 05403-010, Brazil; (J.B.C.); (A.P.R.)
| | - Ana Paula Ritto
- Division of Oral Myology—Hospital das Clinicas, School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, Sao Paulo 05403-010, Brazil; (J.B.C.); (A.P.R.)
| | - Fabiola Juste
- Department of Physiotherapy, Speech-Language and Hearing Sciece and Occupational Therapy School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, Sao Paulo 05403-010, Brazil; (F.J.); (F.C.S.)
| | - Fernanda Chiarion Sassi
- Department of Physiotherapy, Speech-Language and Hearing Sciece and Occupational Therapy School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, Sao Paulo 05403-010, Brazil; (F.J.); (F.C.S.)
| | - Claudia Regina Furquim de Andrade
- Department of Physiotherapy, Speech-Language and Hearing Sciece and Occupational Therapy School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, Sao Paulo 05403-010, Brazil; (F.J.); (F.C.S.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +55-11-3091-7455
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Singer CM, Otieno S, Chang SE, Jones RM. Predicting Persistent Developmental Stuttering Using a Cumulative Risk Approach. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2022; 65:70-95. [PMID: 34902288 PMCID: PMC9150747 DOI: 10.1044/2021_jslhr-21-00162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2021] [Revised: 07/02/2021] [Accepted: 09/12/2021] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to explore how well a cumulative risk approach, based on empirically supported predictive factors, predicts whether a young child who stutters is likely to develop persistent developmental stuttering. In a cumulative risk approach, the number of predictive factors indicating a child is at risk to develop persistent stuttering is evaluated, and a greater number of indicators of risk are hypothesized to confer greater risk of persistent stuttering. METHOD We combined extant data on 3- to 5-year-old children who stutter from two longitudinal studies to identify cutoff values for continuous predictive factors (e.g., speech and language skills, age at onset, time since onset, stuttering frequency) and, in combination with binary predictors (e.g., sex, family history of stuttering), used all-subsets regression and receiver operating characteristic curves to compare the predictive validity of different combinations of 10 risk factors. The optimal combination of predictive factors and the odds of a child developing persistent stuttering based on an increasing number of factors were calculated. RESULTS Based on 67 children who stutter (i.e., 44 persisting and 23 recovered) with relatively strong speech-language skills, the predictive factor model that yielded the best predictive validity was based on time since onset (≥ 19 months), speech sound skills (≤ 115 standard score), expressive language skills (≤ 106 standard score), and stuttering severity (≥ 17 Stuttering Severity Instrument total score). When the presence of at least two predictive factors was used to confer elevated risk to develop persistent stuttering, the model yielded 93% sensitivity and 65% specificity. As a child presented with a greater number of these four risk factors, the odds for persistent stuttering increased. CONCLUSIONS Findings support the use of a cumulative risk approach and the predictive utility of assessing multiple domains when evaluating a child's risk of developing persistent stuttering. Clinical implications and future directions are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cara M. Singer
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI
| | - Sango Otieno
- Department of Statistics, Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI
| | - Soo-Eun Chang
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
- Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders, Michigan State University, East Lansing
| | - Robin M. Jones
- Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
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Chow HM, Li H, Liu S, Frigerio-Domingues C, Drayna D. Neuroanatomical anomalies associated with rare AP4E1 mutations in people who stutter. Brain Commun 2021; 3:fcab266. [PMID: 34859215 PMCID: PMC8633735 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcab266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2021] [Revised: 08/23/2021] [Accepted: 09/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Developmental stuttering is a common speech disorder with strong genetic underpinnings. Recently, stuttering has been associated with mutations in genes involved in lysosomal enzyme trafficking. However, how these mutations affect the brains of people who stutter remains largely unknown. In this study, we compared grey matter volume and white matter fractional anisotropy between a unique group of seven subjects who stutter and carry the same rare heterozygous AP4E1 coding mutations and seven unrelated controls without such variants. The carriers of the AP4E1 mutations are members of a large Cameroonian family in which the association between AP4E1 and persistent stuttering was previously identified. Compared to controls, mutation carriers showed reduced grey matter volume in the thalamus, visual areas and the posterior cingulate cortex. Moreover, reduced fractional anisotropy was observed in the corpus callosum, consistent with the results of previous neuroimaging studies of people who stutter with unknown genetic backgrounds. Analysis of gene expression data showed that these structural differences appeared at the locations in which expression of AP4E1 is relatively high. Moreover, the pattern of grey matter volume differences was significantly associated with AP4E1 expression across the left supratentorial regions. This spatial congruency further supports the connection between AP4E1 mutations and the observed structural differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ho Ming Chow
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19713, USA
- Katzin Diagnostic & Research PET/MR Center, Nemours/Alfred duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, DE 19803, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Section on Genetics of Communication Disorders, NIDCD/NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Hua Li
- Katzin Diagnostic & Research PET/MR Center, Nemours/Alfred duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, DE 19803, USA
| | - Siyuan Liu
- Section on Developmental Neurogenomics, NIMH/NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | | | - Dennis Drayna
- Section on Genetics of Communication Disorders, NIDCD/NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
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Busan P, Moret B, Masina F, Del Ben G, Campana G. Speech Fluency Improvement in Developmental Stuttering Using Non-invasive Brain Stimulation: Insights From Available Evidence. Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 15:662016. [PMID: 34456692 PMCID: PMC8386014 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.662016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Developmental stuttering (DS) is a disturbance of the normal rhythm of speech that may be interpreted as very debilitating in the most affected cases. Interventions for DS are historically based on the behavioral modifications of speech patterns (e.g., through speech therapy), which are useful to regain a better speech fluency. However, a great variability in intervention outcomes is normally observed, and no definitive evidence is currently available to resolve stuttering, especially in the case of its persistence in adulthood. In the last few decades, DS has been increasingly considered as a functional disturbance, affecting the correct programming of complex motor sequences such as speech. Compatibly, understanding of the neurophysiological bases of DS has dramatically improved, thanks to neuroimaging, and techniques able to interact with neural tissue functioning [e.g., non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS)]. In this context, the dysfunctional activity of the cortico-basal-thalamo-cortical networks, as well as the defective patterns of connectivity, seems to play a key role, especially in sensorimotor networks. As a consequence, a direct action on the functionality of "defective" or "impaired" brain circuits may help people who stutter to manage dysfluencies in a better way. This may also "potentiate" available interventions, thus favoring more stable outcomes of speech fluency. Attempts aiming at modulating (and improving) brain functioning of people who stutter, realized by using NIBS, are quickly increasing. Here, we will review these recent advancements being applied to the treatment of DS. Insights will be useful not only to assess whether the speech fluency of people who stutter may be ameliorated by acting directly on brain functioning but also will provide further suggestions about the complex and dynamic pathophysiology of DS, where causal effects and "adaptive''/''maladaptive" compensation mechanisms may be strongly overlapped. In conclusion, this review focuses future research toward more specific, targeted, and effective interventions for DS, based on neuromodulation of brain functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Giovanni Del Ben
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
| | - Gianluca Campana
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
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Walsh B, Christ S, Weber C. Exploring Relationships Among Risk Factors for Persistence in Early Childhood Stuttering. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2021; 64:2909-2927. [PMID: 34260279 PMCID: PMC8740747 DOI: 10.1044/2021_jslhr-21-00034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2021] [Revised: 03/13/2021] [Accepted: 04/07/2021] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate how epidemiological and clinical factors collectively predict whether a preschooler who is stuttering will persist or recover and to provide guidance on how clinicians can use these factors to evaluate a child's risk for stuttering persistence. Method We collected epidemiological and clinical measures from 52 preschoolers (M = 54.4 months, SD = 6.7 months; 38 boys and 14 girls) diagnosed as stuttering. We then followed these children longitudinally to document whether they eventually recovered or persisted in stuttering. Risk factors found to be significantly associated with stuttering persistence were used to build single and multiple variable predictive statistical models. Finally, we assessed each model's prediction capabilities by recording how accurate a model was in predicting a child's stuttering outcome-persisting or recovered. Results We found that a positive family history of stuttering, poorer performance on a standardized articulation/phonological assessment, higher frequency of stuttering-like disfluencies during spontaneous speech, and lower accuracy on a nonword repetition task were all significantly associated with an increased probability of persistence. The interaction between family history of stuttering and nonword repetition performance was also significant. The full multiple regression model incorporating all these risk factors resulted in the best fitting model with the highest predictive accuracy and lowest error rate. Conclusions For the first time, we show how multiple risk factors collectively predict the probability of stuttering persistence in 3- to 5-year-old preschool children who stutter. Using the full combination of risk factors to assess preschoolers who stutter yielded more accurate predictions of persistence compared to sparser models. A better understanding of the factors that underlie stuttering persistence will yield insight into the underpinnings of chronic stuttering and will help identify etiological targets for novel treatment approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bridget Walsh
- Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders, Michigan State University, East Lansing
| | - Sharon Christ
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
| | - Christine Weber
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
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Sugathan N, Maruthy S. Predictive factors for persistence and recovery of stuttering in children: A systematic review. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY 2021; 23:359-371. [PMID: 32933336 DOI: 10.1080/17549507.2020.1812718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to systematically review the available literature on various factors that can predict the persistence and recovery of stuttering in children. METHOD An electronic search yielded a total of 35 studies, which considered 44 variables that can be potential factors for predicting persistence and recovery. RESULT Among 44 factors studied, only four factors- phonological abilities, articulatory rate, change in the pattern of disfluencies, and trend in stuttering severity over one-year post-onset were identified to be replicated predictors of recovery of the stuttering. Several factors, such as differences in the second formant transition between fluent and disfluent speech, articulatory rate measured in phones/sec, etc., were observed to predict the future course of stuttering. However, these factors lack replicated evidence as predictors. CONCLUSION There is clear support only for limited factors as reliable predictors. Also, it is observed to be too early to conclude on several replicated factors due to differences in the age group of participants, participant sample size, and the differences in tools used in research that lead to mixed findings as a predictive factor. Hence there is a need for systematic and replicated testing of the factors identified before initiating their use for clinical purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nirmal Sugathan
- Department of Speech-Language Sciences, All India Institute of Speech and Hearing, Mysuru, India
| | - Santosh Maruthy
- Department of Speech-Language Sciences, All India Institute of Speech and Hearing, Mysuru, India
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Frankford SA, Heller Murray ES, Masapollo M, Cai S, Tourville JA, Nieto-Castañón A, Guenther FH. The Neural Circuitry Underlying the "Rhythm Effect" in Stuttering. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2021; 64:2325-2346. [PMID: 33887150 PMCID: PMC8740675 DOI: 10.1044/2021_jslhr-20-00328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2020] [Revised: 12/23/2020] [Accepted: 01/12/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Purpose Stuttering is characterized by intermittent speech disfluencies, which are dramatically reduced when speakers synchronize their speech with a steady beat. The goal of this study was to characterize the neural underpinnings of this phenomenon using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Method Data were collected from 16 adults who stutter and 17 adults who do not stutter while they read sentences aloud either in a normal, self-paced fashion or paced by the beat of a series of isochronous tones ("rhythmic"). Task activation and task-based functional connectivity analyses were carried out to compare neural responses between speaking conditions and groups after controlling for speaking rate. Results Adults who stutter produced fewer disfluent trials in the rhythmic condition than in the normal condition. Adults who stutter did not have any significant changes in activation between the rhythmic condition and the normal condition, but when groups were collapsed, participants had greater activation in the rhythmic condition in regions associated with speech sequencing, sensory feedback control, and timing perception. Adults who stutter also demonstrated increased functional connectivity among cerebellar regions during rhythmic speech as compared to normal speech and decreased connectivity between the left inferior cerebellum and the left prefrontal cortex. Conclusions Modulation of connectivity in the cerebellum and prefrontal cortex during rhythmic speech suggests that this fluency-inducing technique activates a compensatory timing system in the cerebellum and potentially modulates top-down motor control and attentional systems. These findings corroborate previous work associating the cerebellum with fluency in adults who stutter and indicate that the cerebellum may be targeted to enhance future therapeutic interventions. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.14417681.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saul A. Frankford
- Department of Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences, Boston University, MA
| | | | - Matthew Masapollo
- Department of Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences, Boston University, MA
| | - Shanqing Cai
- Department of Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences, Boston University, MA
| | - Jason A. Tourville
- Department of Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences, Boston University, MA
| | | | - Frank H. Guenther
- Department of Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences, Boston University, MA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, MA
- Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
- The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
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Boley N, Patil S, Garnett EO, Li H, Chugani DC, Chang SE, Chow HM. Association Between Gray Matter Volume Variations and Energy Utilization in the Brain: Implications for Developmental Stuttering. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2021; 64:2317-2324. [PMID: 33719533 PMCID: PMC8740693 DOI: 10.1044/2020_jslhr-20-00325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2020] [Revised: 09/23/2020] [Accepted: 10/02/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Purpose The biological mechanisms underlying developmental stuttering remain unclear. In a previous investigation, we showed that there is significant spatial correspondence between regional gray matter structural anomalies and the expression of genes linked to energy metabolism. In the current study, we sought to further examine the relationship between structural anomalies in the brain in children with persistent stuttering and brain regional energy metabolism. Method High-resolution structural MRI scans were acquired from 26 persistent stuttering and 44 typically developing children. Voxel-based morphometry was used to quantify the between-group gray matter volume (GMV) differences across the whole brain. Group differences in GMV were then compared with published values for the pattern of glucose metabolism measured via F18 fluorodeoxyglucose uptake in the brains of 29 healthy volunteers using positron emission tomography. Results A significant positive correlation between GMV differences and F18 fluorodeoxyglucose uptake was found in the left hemisphere (ρ = .36, p < .01), where speech-motor and language processing are typically localized. No such correlation was observed in the right hemisphere (ρ = .05, p = .70). Conclusions Corroborating our previous gene expression studies, the results of the current study suggest a potential connection between energy metabolism and stuttering. Brain regions with high energy utilization may be particularly vulnerable to anatomical changes associated with stuttering. Such changes may be further exacerbated when there are sharp increases in brain energy utilization, which coincides with the developmental period of rapid speech/language acquisition and the onset of stuttering during childhood. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.14110454.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathaniel Boley
- The Institute for Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC
- Katzin Diagnostic & Research PET/MRI Center, Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, DE
| | - Sanath Patil
- Katzin Diagnostic & Research PET/MRI Center, Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, DE
- Premedical-Medical Program, Eberly College of Science, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park
| | - Emily O. Garnett
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor
| | - Hua Li
- Katzin Diagnostic & Research PET/MRI Center, Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, DE
| | - Diane C. Chugani
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, College of Health Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark
| | - Soo-Eun Chang
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor
- Cognitive Imaging Research Center, Department of Radiology, College of Osteopathic Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing
- Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders, College of Communication Arts and Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing
| | - Ho Ming Chow
- Katzin Diagnostic & Research PET/MRI Center, Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, DE
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, College of Health Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark
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Alm PA. Streptococcal Infection as a Major Historical Cause of Stuttering: Data, Mechanisms, and Current Importance. Front Hum Neurosci 2020; 14:569519. [PMID: 33304252 PMCID: PMC7693426 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2020.569519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2020] [Accepted: 08/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Stuttering is one of the most well-known speech disorders, but the underlying neurological mechanisms are debated. In addition to genetic factors, there are also major non-genetic contributions. It is here proposed that infection with group A beta-hemolytic streptococcus (GAS) was a major underlying cause of stuttering until the mid-1900s when penicillin was introduced in 1943. The main mechanism proposed is an autoimmune reaction from tonsillitis, targeting specific molecules, for example within the basal ganglia. It is here also proposed that GAS infections may have continued to cause stuttering to some extent, to the present date, though more rarely. If so, early diagnosis of such cases would be of importance. Childhood cases with sudden onset of stuttering after throat infection may be particularly important to assess for possible GAS infection. The support for this hypothesis primarily comes from three lines of argument. First, medical record data from the 1930s strongly indicates that there was one type of medical event in particular that preceded the onset of childhood stuttering with unexpected frequency: diseases related to GAS throat infections. In particular, this included tonsillitis and scarlet fever, but also rheumatic fever. Rheumatic fever is a childhood autoimmune sequela of GAS infection, which was a relatively widespread medical problem until the early 1960s. Second, available reports of changes of the childhood prevalence of stuttering indicate striking parallels between stuttering and the incidence of rheumatic fever, with: (1) decline from the early 1900s; (2) marked decline from the introduction of penicillin in the mid 1940s; and (3) reaching a more stable level in the 1960s. The correlations between the data for stuttering and rheumatic fever after the introduction of penicillin are very high, at about 0.95. Third, there are established biological mechanisms linking GAS tonsillitis to immunological effects on the brain. Also, a small number of more recent case reports have provided further support for the hypothesis linking stuttering to GAS infection. Overall, it is proposed that the available data provides strong evidence for the hypothesis that GAS infection was a major cause of stuttering until the mid-1900s, interacting with genetic predisposition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Per A. Alm
- Department of Neuroscience, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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15
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Singer CM, Hessling A, Kelly EM, Singer L, Jones RM. Clinical Characteristics Associated With Stuttering Persistence: A Meta-Analysis. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2020; 63:2995-3018. [PMID: 32772868 PMCID: PMC7890223 DOI: 10.1044/2020_jslhr-20-00096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2020] [Revised: 05/01/2020] [Accepted: 06/03/2020] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Purpose The purpose of this meta-analytic study was to identify clinical characteristics, defined as child factors that can be assessed by a speech-language pathologist as part of a routine speech-language evaluation that may differentiate children who persist in stuttering from children who eventually recover from stuttering. Clinical characteristics explored included sex, age at onset, family history of stuttering, stuttering frequency and severity, speech-language skills, and temperament. Method Studies were identified through electronic databases, journals, and reference lists of relevant reports (e.g., research articles). Eligible studies followed young children who stutter (i.e., under 6 years old) for at least 24 months, assessed a potential clinical marker at study entry, and determined talker group classification (i.e., persistent or recovered) at study completion. Sex and family history differences were estimated using risk ratios; all other differences were estimated using Hedges's g. Heterogeneity and methodological differences among studies were evaluated. Results Eleven studies (41 reports) met eligibility criteria. Persistent children were older at stuttering onset and exhibited higher frequencies of stuttering-like disfluencies, lower speech sound accuracy, and lower expressive and receptive language skills than recovered children. Males and children with a family history of stuttering were also more likely to persist. Conclusions Clinical characteristics were identified that are associated with increased risk for stuttering persistence. Future studies have the potential to translate these clinical characteristics into prognostic markers for stuttering persistence risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cara M. Singer
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Grand Valley State University, Grand Rapids, MI
| | - Alison Hessling
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Baylor University, Waco, TX
| | - Ellen M. Kelly
- Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
| | - Lisa Singer
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA
| | - Robin M. Jones
- Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
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16
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Chow HM, Garnett EO, Li H, Etchell A, Sepulcre J, Drayna D, Chugani D, Chang SE. Linking Lysosomal Enzyme Targeting Genes and Energy Metabolism with Altered Gray Matter Volume in Children with Persistent Stuttering. NEUROBIOLOGY OF LANGUAGE (CAMBRIDGE, MASS.) 2020; 1:365-380. [PMID: 34041495 PMCID: PMC8138901 DOI: 10.1162/nol_a_00017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2019] [Accepted: 05/13/2020] [Indexed: 04/12/2023]
Abstract
Developmental stuttering is a childhood onset neurodevelopmental disorder with an unclear etiology. Subtle changes in brain structure and function are present in both children and adults who stutter. It is a highly heritable disorder, and 12-20% of stuttering cases may carry a mutation in one of four genes involved in intracellular trafficking. To better understand the relationship between genetics and neuroanatomical changes, we used gene expression data from the Allen Institute for Brain Science and voxel-based morphometry to investigate the spatial correspondence between gene expression patterns and differences in gray matter volume between children with persistent stuttering (n = 26, and 87 scans) and their fluent peers (n = 44, and 139 scans). We found that the expression patterns of two stuttering-related genes (GNPTG and NAGPA) from the Allen Institute data exhibited a strong positive spatial correlation with the magnitude of between-group gray matter volume differences. Additional gene set enrichment analyses revealed that genes whose expression was highly correlated with the gray matter volume differences were enriched for glycolysis and oxidative metabolism in mitochondria. Because our current study did not examine the participants' genomes, these results cannot establish the direct association between genetic mutations and gray matter volume differences in stuttering. However, our results support further study of the involvement of lysosomal enzyme targeting genes, as well as energy metabolism in stuttering. Future studies assessing variations of these genes in the participants' genomes may lead to increased understanding of the biological mechanisms of the observed spatial relationship between gene expression and gray matter volume.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ho Ming Chow
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Delaware, Newark, DE
- Katzin Diagnostic & Research PET/MRI Center, Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, DE
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
- * Corresponding Author:
| | | | - Hua Li
- Katzin Diagnostic & Research PET/MRI Center, Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, DE
| | - Andrew Etchell
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
| | - Jorge Sepulcre
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Dennis Drayna
- National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, NIH, Bethesda, MD
| | - Diane Chugani
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Delaware, Newark, DE
| | - Soo-Eun Chang
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
- Cognitive Imaging Research Center, Department of Radiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
- Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
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17
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Koenraads SPC, van der Schroeff MP, van Ingen G, Lamballais S, Tiemeier H, Baatenburg de Jong RJ, White T, Franken MC, Muetzel RL. Structural brain differences in pre-adolescents who persist in and recover from stuttering. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2020; 27:102334. [PMID: 32650280 PMCID: PMC7341447 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2020.102334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2020] [Revised: 06/19/2020] [Accepted: 06/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Brain (micro-)structural differences were found in pre-adolescents who stutter. Persistency was associated with marginally smaller left frontal gray matter volume. Recovery was associated with higher mean diffusivity in white matter tracts. Distinct brain structures implicated in persistence and recovery of stuttering.
Background Stuttering is a complex speech fluency disorder occurring in childhood. In young children, stuttering has been associated with speech-related auditory and motor areas of the brain. During transition into adolescence, the majority of children who stutter (75–80%) will experience remission of their symptoms. The current study evaluated brain (micro-)structural differences between pre-adolescents who persisted in stuttering, those who recovered, and fluently speaking controls. Methods This study was embedded in the Generation R Study, a population-based cohort in the Netherlands of children followed from pregnancy onwards. Neuroimaging was performed in 2211 children (mean age: 10 years, range 8–12), of whom 20 persisted in and 77 recovered from stuttering. Brain structure (e.g., gray matter) and microstructure (e.g., diffusion tensor imaging) differences between groups were tested using multiple linear regression. Results Pre-adolescents who persisted in stuttering had marginally lower left superior frontal gray matter volume compared to those with no history of stuttering (β −1344, 95%CI −2407;-280), and those who recovered (β −1825, 95%CI −2999;-650). Pre-adolescents who recovered, compared to those with no history of stuttering, had higher mean diffusivity in the forceps major (β 0.002, 95%CI 0.001;0.004), bilateral superior longitudinal fasciculi (β 0.001, 95%CI 0.000;0.001), left corticospinal tract (β 0.003, 95%CI 0.002;0.004), and right inferior longitudinal fasciculus (β 0.001, 95%CI 0.000;0.001). Conclusion Findings suggest that relatively small difference in prefrontal gray matter volume is associated with persistent stuttering, and alterations in white matter tracts are apparent in individuals who recovered. The findings further strengthen the potential relevance of brain (micro-)structure in persistence and recovery from stuttering in pre-adolescents.
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Affiliation(s)
- S P C Koenraads
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - M P van der Schroeff
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - G van Ingen
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - S Lamballais
- Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Clinical Genetics, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - H Tiemeier
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States
| | - R J Baatenburg de Jong
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - T White
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - M C Franken
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - R L Muetzel
- Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
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18
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Ge L, Li A, Wang N, Li P, Xin H, Li W. Pregabalin-associated stuttering and frequent blepharospasm: case report and review. Daru 2020; 28:815-818. [PMID: 32632575 PMCID: PMC7704871 DOI: 10.1007/s40199-020-00354-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2020] [Accepted: 06/05/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Herpes zoster is an acute, painful, herpes skin disease caused by varicella-zoster virus, which may cause viral meningitis. Pregabalin has been shown to be efficacious in the treatment of pain in patients with herpes zoster. However, it has the side effects of neurotoxicity. We describe a 68-year-old female patient with herpes zoster, and she was treated with pregabalin. The patient presented with stuttering and frequent blepharospasm after 3 days of pregabalin treatment. Pregabalin was discontinued, the symptoms of stuttering and frequent blepharospasm completely resolved without any special treatment after one week. In this case, the etiology of stuttering and frequent blepharospasm may be related to pregabalin. Clinicians should be alert to the rare symptoms associated with the use of pregabalin. . ![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Lingzhi Ge
- Department of Dermatology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, 16766 Jing-Shi Road, Jinan, 250014, China.,Department of Dermatology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, Tai'an, 271000, China
| | - Ang Li
- Department of Dermatology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, 16766 Jing-Shi Road, Jinan, 250014, China.,Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth, People's Hospital, 600 Yishan Road, Shanghai, 200233, China
| | - Ni Wang
- Department of Dermatology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, 16766 Jing-Shi Road, Jinan, 250014, China
| | - Ping Li
- Department of Dermatology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, 16766 Jing-Shi Road, Jinan, 250014, China.,Department of Dermatology, Jimo District People's Hospital, Qingdao, 266200, China
| | - Hongyan Xin
- Department of Dermatology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, 16766 Jing-Shi Road, Jinan, 250014, China.,Department of Surgery, Shandong Chest Hospital, Jinan, 250013, China
| | - Wenfei Li
- Department of Dermatology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, 16766 Jing-Shi Road, Jinan, 250014, China.
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Chang SE, Guenther FH. Involvement of the Cortico-Basal Ganglia-Thalamocortical Loop in Developmental Stuttering. Front Psychol 2020; 10:3088. [PMID: 32047456 PMCID: PMC6997432 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.03088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2019] [Accepted: 12/31/2019] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Stuttering is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder that has to date eluded a clear explication of its pathophysiological bases. In this review, we utilize the Directions Into Velocities of Articulators (DIVA) neurocomputational modeling framework to mechanistically interpret relevant findings from the behavioral and neurological literatures on stuttering. Within this theoretical framework, we propose that the primary impairment underlying stuttering behavior is malfunction in the cortico-basal ganglia-thalamocortical (hereafter, cortico-BG) loop that is responsible for initiating speech motor programs. This theoretical perspective predicts three possible loci of impaired neural processing within the cortico-BG loop that could lead to stuttering behaviors: impairment within the basal ganglia proper; impairment of axonal projections between cerebral cortex, basal ganglia, and thalamus; and impairment in cortical processing. These theoretical perspectives are presented in detail, followed by a review of empirical data that make reference to these three possibilities. We also highlight any differences that are present in the literature based on examining adults versus children, which give important insights into potential core deficits associated with stuttering versus compensatory changes that occur in the brain as a result of having stuttered for many years in the case of adults who stutter. We conclude with outstanding questions in the field and promising areas for future studies that have the potential to further advance mechanistic understanding of neural deficits underlying persistent developmental stuttering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soo-Eun Chang
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
- Department of Radiology, Cognitive Imaging Research Center, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
- Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
| | - Frank H. Guenther
- Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States
- Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States
- Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, United States
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20
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Garnett EO, Chow HM, Chang SE. Neuroanatomical Correlates of Childhood Stuttering: MRI Indices of White and Gray Matter Development That Differentiate Persistence Versus Recovery. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2019; 62:2986-2998. [PMID: 31465710 PMCID: PMC6813035 DOI: 10.1044/2019_jslhr-s-csmc7-18-0356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Purpose We review two recent neuroanatomical studies of children who stutter (CWS), one that examines white matter integrity and the other that focuses on cortical gray matter morphology. In both studies, we sought to examine differences between children whose stuttering persists ("persistent"), children who recovered from stuttering ("recovered"), and their nonstuttering peers ("controls"). Method Both of the reviewed studies use data from a large pediatric sample spanning preschool- to school-age children (3-10 years old at initial testing). Study 1 focused on surface-based measures of cortical size (thickness) and shape (gyrification) using structural magnetic resonance imaging, whereas Study 2 utilized diffusion tensor imaging to examine white matter integrity. Results In both studies, the main difference that emerged between CWS and fluent peers encompassed left hemisphere speech motor areas that are interconnected via the arcuate fasciculus. In the case of white matter integrity, the temporoparietal junction and posterior superior temporal gyrus, both connected via the left arcuate fasciculus, and regions along the corpus callosum that contain fibers connecting bilateral motor regions were significantly decreased in white matter integrity in CWS compared to controls. In the morphometric study, children who would go on to have persistent stuttering specifically had lower cortical thickness in ventral motor and premotor areas of the left hemisphere. Conclusion These results point to aberrant development of cortical areas involved in integrating sensory feedback with speech movements in CWS and differences in interhemispheric connectivity between the two motor cortices. Furthermore, developmental trajectories in these areas seem to diverge between persistent and recovered cases.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ho Ming Chow
- Katzin Diagnostic & Research PET/MRI Center, Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, DE
| | - Soo-Eun Chang
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
- Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders, Michigan State University, East Lansing
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Koenraads SPC, El Marroun H, Muetzel RL, Chang SE, Vernooij MW, Baatenburg de Jong RJ, White T, Franken MC, van der Schroeff MP. Stuttering and gray matter morphometry: A population-based neuroimaging study in young children. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2019; 194:121-131. [PMID: 31085031 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2019.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2018] [Revised: 03/08/2019] [Accepted: 04/28/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Stuttering is a developmental speech disorder originating in early childhood. We aimed to replicate the association of stuttering and structural morphometry using a large, population-based prospective cohort, the Generation R Study, and explore the neurobiological mechanism of stuttering in children. Twenty-six children with a history of stuttering and 489 fluent speaking peers (ages 6-9) were included in the MRI sub-study. Cortical and subcortical regions of interest were analyzed using linear regression models. Compared to fluent speakers, children with a history of stuttering had less gray matter volume in the left inferior frontal gyrus and supplementary motor area. Exploratory surface-based brain analysis showed thinner cortex in the left inferior frontal gyrus, and in bilateral frontal and parietal areas. These findings corroborate previous studies that reported aberrant brain morphometry in speech motor and auditory regions in children who stutter. Future research is needed to explore the causal nature of this association.
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Affiliation(s)
- S P C Koenraads
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - H El Marroun
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Psychology, Education and Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Pediatrics, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - R L Muetzel
- The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - S E Chang
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - M W Vernooij
- The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Radiology & Nuclear Medicine, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - R J Baatenburg de Jong
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - T White
- The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - M C Franken
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - M P van der Schroeff
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
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Busan P, Del Ben G, Russo LR, Bernardini S, Natarelli G, Arcara G, Manganotti P, Battaglini PP. Stuttering as a matter of delay in neural activation: A combined TMS/EEG study. Clin Neurophysiol 2019; 130:61-76. [DOI: 10.1016/j.clinph.2018.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2018] [Revised: 08/27/2018] [Accepted: 10/15/2018] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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