Understanding the basic neural mechanisms underlying stuttering is widely acknowledged as fundamental to informed diagnosis and treatment. The required cornerstone for this important knowledge is a theoretical framework of stuttering that accounts for various primary and associated speech characteristics and that is consistent with empirically-verified models of sensorimotor control and neural functioning. The research program proposed here takes a comprehensive neurobiological approach to explaining the neural basis of stuttering through an integrated series of theoretically-motivated, hypothesis-driven experiments. Parallel psychophysical (kinematics, sensorimotor adaptation, mechanical/sensory perturbations) and neuroimaging (fMRI) experiments will be conducted to address selected aspects of speech sensorimotor control that, according to our theoretical framework, may be implicated in stuttering.
Specific aims of the series of experimental studies are to investigate in individuals who do vs. who do not stutter (a) the ability to acquire and consolidate neural representations (i.e., internal models) of the mappings between central motor commands to the vocal tract musculature and the sensory consequences of those actions, (b) the efficiency of integrating auditory and kinesthetic afferent signals into both the feedforward and feedback components of speech sensorimotor control, and (c) the activation time course and functional connectivity of the neural substrates underlying speech production. This is a collaborative program of research by scientists who have overlapping as well as complementary areas of expertise and who direct research groups using state-of-the-art instrumentation at two performance sites. Combining the expertise and resources from these sites will allow innovative investigations of the sensorimotor systems of stuttering and nonstuttering children and adults at behavioral, physiological, and neural levels of operation. These in-depth studies have the potential to inform on the development and state of the speech motor control system in individuals who stutter, and to suggest new directions for research and clinical management. Thus, this work's direct relevance to public health lies in its contributions to understanding the neural mechanisms underlying stuttering and-by generating such new insights-facilitating the development of improved approaches to diagnosis and treatment. ? ? ?

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01DC007603-02
Application #
7269819
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-BBBP-E (02))
Program Officer
Shekim, Lana O
Project Start
2006-08-01
Project End
2011-06-30
Budget Start
2007-07-01
Budget End
2008-06-30
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
2007
Total Cost
$368,318
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Connecticut
Department
Psychology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
614209054
City
Storrs-Mansfield
State
CT
Country
United States
Zip Code
06269
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Daliri, Ayoub; Max, Ludo (2018) Stuttering adults' lack of pre-speech auditory modulation normalizes when speaking with delayed auditory feedback. Cortex 99:55-68
Maruthy, Santosh; Feng, Yongqiang; Max, Ludo (2018) Spectral Coefficient Analyses of Word-Initial Stop Consonant Productions Suggest Similar Anticipatory Coarticulation for Stuttering and Nonstuttering Adults. Lang Speech 61:31-42
Feng, Yongqiang; Xiao, Yan; Yan, Yonghong et al. (2018) Adaptation in Mandarin tone production with pitch-shifted auditory feedback: Influence of tonal contrast requirements. Lang Cogn Neurosci 33:734-749
Daliri, Ayoub; Max, Ludo (2016) Modulation of Auditory Responses to Speech vs. Nonspeech Stimuli during Speech Movement Planning. Front Hum Neurosci 10:234
Daliri, Ayoub; Max, Ludo (2015) Modulation of auditory processing during speech movement planning is limited in adults who stutter. Brain Lang 143:59-68
Max, Ludo; Maffett, Derek G (2015) Feedback delays eliminate auditory-motor learning in speech production. Neurosci Lett 591:25-9
Daliri, Ayoub; Max, Ludo (2015) Electrophysiological evidence for a general auditory prediction deficit in adults who stutter. Brain Lang 150:37-44
Kim, Kwang S; Max, Ludo (2014) Estimating feedforward vs. feedback control of speech production through kinematic analyses of unperturbed articulatory movements. Front Hum Neurosci 8:911
Feng, Yongqiang; Max, Ludo (2014) Accuracy and precision of a custom camera-based system for 2-d and 3-d motion tracking during speech and nonspeech motor tasks. J Speech Lang Hear Res 57:426-38

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