Brain morphology alterations in adult males with stuttering disorder in Saudi Arabia: a pilot study.

IF 3.3 4区医学 Q1 Medicine

European review for medical and pharmacological sciences Pub Date : 2025-05-01 DOI:10.26355/eurrev_202505_37226

M Alqarni, A Abujamea, A Almudhi, S Bashir

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The neurophysiological and neuroanatomical alterations underlying brain morphology in adult males who stutter remain insufficiently understood. This study aimed to determine whether individuals who stutter exhibit structural differences in frontal brain regions associated with somatosensory and motor systems critical for speech production. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study protocol was approved by the Institutional Review Board of King Saud University (KSU). A total of 54 adult male participants [27 stutterers (ST) and 27 non-stutterers (NST)], aged 18-55 years, were enrolled. A certified speech-language pathologist assessed all participants using the validated Stuttering Severity Instrument-4 (SSI-4). High-resolution T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans (SAG T1 3D MP-RAGE sequence) were acquired using a Siemens Skyra 3.0T scanner at the Department of Medical Imaging, KSU Medical City, Riyadh. RESULTS: Compared to NST participants, individuals in the ST group showed significant volumetric alterations in the left precentral gyrus, right superior frontal gyrus, and right middle frontal gyrus. Additional significant differences were observed in the left middle frontal gyrus, left inferior frontal gyrus pars opercularis, left inferior frontal gyrus pars triangularis, left inferior frontal gyrus, left precuneus, left pole of the superior temporal white matter, and left insular cortex. These regions demonstrated consistent structural differences between ST and NST participants, suggesting a robust association between stuttering and abnormal morphology in frontal and related cortical areas. CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide evidence of structural abnormalities in frontal brain regions implicated in the regulation of somatosensory and motor processes essential for speech production. This supports the hypothesis that stuttering is associated with disrupted neuroanatomical organization in key speech-related cortical networks.

Graphical abstract: https://www.europeanreview.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/Graphical-Abstract-17.jpg.

查看原文本刊更多论文

沙特阿拉伯患有口吃障碍的成年男性的脑形态学改变：一项初步研究。

目的：成年男性口吃患者脑形态的神经生理和神经解剖学改变尚不清楚。这项研究的目的是确定口吃的个体在与体感和运动系统相关的大脑额叶区域是否表现出结构上的差异，这些系统对语言的产生至关重要。材料和方法：研究方案由沙特国王大学（KSU）机构审查委员会批准。共纳入54名成年男性参与者[27名口吃者（ST）和27名非口吃者（NST）]，年龄18-55岁。一位经过认证的语言病理学家使用经过验证的口吃严重程度量表-4 （SSI-4）对所有参与者进行评估。高分辨率T1加权磁共振成像（MRI）扫描（SAG T1 3D MP-RAGE序列）使用利雅得KSU医学城医学成像部的西门子Skyra 3.0T扫描仪。结果：与NST参与者相比，ST组的个体在左侧中央前回、右侧额上回和右侧额中回中表现出显著的体积变化。另外，在左侧额中回、左侧额下回小叶部、左侧额下回三角部、左侧额下回、左侧楔前叶、左侧颞上白质极和左侧岛叶皮层也观察到显著差异。这些区域在ST和NST参与者之间显示出一致的结构差异，表明口吃与额叶和相关皮质区域的异常形态之间存在密切联系。结论：这些发现为大脑额叶区域的结构异常提供了证据，这些结构异常与语言产生所必需的体感和运动过程的调节有关。这支持了一种假设，即口吃与关键语言相关皮层网络的神经解剖组织紊乱有关。图形摘要：https://www.europeanreview.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/Graphical-Abstract-17.jpg。

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来源期刊

European review for medical and pharmacological sciences 医学-药学

CiteScore

5.30

自引率

6.10%

发文量

906

审稿时长

2-4 weeks

期刊介绍： European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences, a fortnightly journal, acts as an information exchange tool on several aspects of medical and pharmacological sciences. It publishes reviews, original articles, and results from original research. The purposes of the Journal are to encourage interdisciplinary discussions and to contribute to the advancement of medicine. European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences includes: -Editorials- Reviews- Original articles- Trials- Brief communications- Case reports (only if of particular interest and accompanied by a short review)