{"title":"The Impact of Executive Functions and Musicality on Speech Auditory-Motor Synchronization in Adults Who Stutter.","authors":"Min Zhu, Fei Chen, Weiping Chen, Yang Zhang","doi":"10.1044/2024_JSLHR-24-00141","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Stuttering is a neurodevelopmental disorder that disrupts the timing and rhythmic flow of speech production. There is growing evidence indicating that abnormal interactions between the auditory and motor cortices contribute to the development of stuttering. The present study investigated speech auditory-motor synchronization in stuttering adults and the influential factors behind it as compared to individuals without stuttering.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>Sixteen Mandarin-speaking adults with stuttering and 19 fluent controls, who were matched for age, gender, and years of musical training, participated in the current study. Their ability to synchronize vocal speech production with accelerating auditory sequences was assessed using the spontaneous speech-to-speech synchronization test (SSS test). Additionally, all participants conducted a series of standardized behavioral tests to evaluate their musicality and executive functions.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Stutterers achieved significantly lower phase locking values in the SSS test compared to nonstuttering controls, indicating a potential rhythmic processing deficit in developmental stuttering. Moreover, the strength of speech auditory-motor synchronization in stutterers was significantly associated with their performance in tasks such as digit span and nonword repetition. This finding further emphasizes the strong link between rhythmic processing and working memory.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study provides compelling evidence for the speech rhythmic deficit in individuals with stuttering by incorporating auditory-motor processes. It would offer valuable insights into the intricate relationship between language and the brain and shed light on the potential benefits of cognitive training for speech intervention in individuals with stuttering difficulties.</p><p><strong>Supplemental material: </strong>https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.27984362.</p>","PeriodicalId":51254,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research","volume":" ","pages":"54-68"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2000,"publicationDate":"2025-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1044/2024_JSLHR-24-00141","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2024/12/16 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"AUDIOLOGY & SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Purpose: Stuttering is a neurodevelopmental disorder that disrupts the timing and rhythmic flow of speech production. There is growing evidence indicating that abnormal interactions between the auditory and motor cortices contribute to the development of stuttering. The present study investigated speech auditory-motor synchronization in stuttering adults and the influential factors behind it as compared to individuals without stuttering.
Method: Sixteen Mandarin-speaking adults with stuttering and 19 fluent controls, who were matched for age, gender, and years of musical training, participated in the current study. Their ability to synchronize vocal speech production with accelerating auditory sequences was assessed using the spontaneous speech-to-speech synchronization test (SSS test). Additionally, all participants conducted a series of standardized behavioral tests to evaluate their musicality and executive functions.
Results: Stutterers achieved significantly lower phase locking values in the SSS test compared to nonstuttering controls, indicating a potential rhythmic processing deficit in developmental stuttering. Moreover, the strength of speech auditory-motor synchronization in stutterers was significantly associated with their performance in tasks such as digit span and nonword repetition. This finding further emphasizes the strong link between rhythmic processing and working memory.
Conclusions: This study provides compelling evidence for the speech rhythmic deficit in individuals with stuttering by incorporating auditory-motor processes. It would offer valuable insights into the intricate relationship between language and the brain and shed light on the potential benefits of cognitive training for speech intervention in individuals with stuttering difficulties.
期刊介绍：
Mission: JSLHR publishes peer-reviewed research and other scholarly articles on the normal and disordered processes in speech, language, hearing, and related areas such as cognition, oral-motor function, and swallowing. The journal is an international outlet for both basic research on communication processes and clinical research pertaining to screening, diagnosis, and management of communication disorders as well as the etiologies and characteristics of these disorders. JSLHR seeks to advance evidence-based practice by disseminating the results of new studies as well as providing a forum for critical reviews and meta-analyses of previously published work.
Scope: The broad field of communication sciences and disorders, including speech production and perception; anatomy and physiology of speech and voice; genetics, biomechanics, and other basic sciences pertaining to human communication; mastication and swallowing; speech disorders; voice disorders; development of speech, language, or hearing in children; normal language processes; language disorders; disorders of hearing and balance; psychoacoustics; and anatomy and physiology of hearing.
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