ERIC Number: EJ1059954
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015-Apr
Pages: 10
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1092-4388
EISSN: N/A
Anomalous White Matter Morphology in Adults Who Stutter
Cieslak, Matthew; Ingham, Rojer J.; Ingham, Janis C.; Grafton, Scott T.
Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, v58 n2 p268-277 Apr 2015
Aims: Developmental stuttering is now generally considered to arise from genetic determinants interacting with neurologic function. Changes within speech-motor white matter (WM) connections may also be implicated. These connections can now be studied in great detail by high-angular-resolution diffusion magnetic resonance imaging. Therefore, diffusion spectrum imaging was used to reconstruct streamlines to examine white matter connections in people who stutter (PWS) and in people who do not stutter (PWNS). Method: WM morphology of the entire brain was assayed in 8 right-handed male PWS and 8 similarly aged right-handed male PWNS. WM was exhaustively searched using a deterministic algorithm that identifies missing or largely misshapen tracts. To be abnormal, a "tract" (defined as all streamlines connecting a pair of gray matter regions) was required to be at least one 3rd missing, in 7 out of 8 subjects in one group and not in the other group. Results: Large portions of bilateral arcuate fasciculi, a heavily researched speech pathway, were abnormal in PWS. Conversely, all PWS had a prominent connection in the left temporo-striatal tract connecting frontal and temporal cortex that was not observed in PWNS. Conclusion: These previously unseen structural differences of WM morphology in classical speech-language circuits may underlie developmental stuttering.
Descriptors: Stuttering, Brain Hemisphere Functions, Males, Neurological Impairments, Speech Impairments, Diagnostic Tests, Comparative Analysis, Etiology
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). 10801 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852. Tel: 800-638-8255; Fax: 301-571-0457; e-mail: subscribe@asha.org; Web site: http://jslhr.asha.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD); National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NIH); Army Research Office (ARO)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: DC007893; NS44393; W911NF-09-D-0001