Scientists locate the source of stuttering in the brain

Jun 3 2024University of Turku

Stuttering was once considered a psychological disorder. However, with further research, it is now understood to be a brain disorder related to the regulation of speech production.” Stuttering may also be acquired as a result of certain neurological diseases, such as Parkinson's disease or a stroke. However, the neurobiological mechanisms of stuttering are not yet fully understood, and where it originates in the brain remains uncertain.

In addition to people who had suffered a stroke, the researchers used magnetic resonance imaging to scan the brains of 20 individuals with developmental stuttering. In these individuals, the stuttering was associated with structural changes in the nodes of the brain network originally identified in relation to causal stroke lesions – the greater the changes, the more severe the stuttering. This finding suggests that stuttering is caused by a common brain network, regardless of the aetiology .

"These findings explain well-known features of stuttering, such as the motor difficulties in speech production and the significant variability in stuttering severity across emotional states. As major nuclei in the brain, the putamen regulates motor function and the amygdala regulates emotions. The claustrum, in turn, acts as a node for several brain networks and relays information between them,” explains Joutsa.

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