Fluency Disorders, Speech Disorders, Stuttering
Conditions
Keywords
Stammering, Brain stimulation
Brief summary
This study aims to test whether the addition of transcranial direct current stimulation (TDCS) to speech fluency training results in improvements in speech fluency in adults with developmental stuttering. Half of the participants will receive anodal TDCS on five consecutive days, the other half will receive a sham stimulation for the same amount of time.
Detailed description
Studies using TDCS have shown improvements in motor performance, and in expressive language skills in clinical and healthy populations. The benefits of single sessions of TDCS are short-lived. However, stimulation over multiple sessions can increase and prolong learning effects that can persist for several weeks after the end of the stimulation period. We aim to target left hemisphere frontal regions involved in speech production with TDCS, and to pair this stimulation with speech fluency training.
Interventions
DEVICEAnodal TDCS
20 minutes 1mA anodal stimulation to left inferior frontal cortex. Cathode positioned on right supra-orbital ridge.
BEHAVIORALFluency Training
Speech tasks will be completed using fluency-enhancing techniques: metronome-timed speech and auditory choral speech.
Sponsors
University of Oxford
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
QUADRUPLE (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
MALE
Age
18 Years to 50 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Native speaker of English. * Right handed. * Participant has moderate to severe Developmental Stuttering (Stammering)
Exclusion criteria
* Speech, language or communication disorder other than Developmental Stuttering. * Sensory impairment (hearing loss or visual impairment) * History of drug abuse. * History of seizures * History of a neurological or psychiatric illness. * History of neurosurgical procedure. * Currently taking certain prescription medications such as anti-depressants and anti-malarial medication (as these may lower the seizure threshold)
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change from baseline proportion of stuttering in speech sample | 1 week post-treatment | Quantitative measurement of stuttering |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change from baseline on the Stuttering Severity Instrument version 4 (SSI-4) | 1 week post-treatment | Standardised assessment of frequency and duration of stuttering and associated physical concomitants |
| Change from baseline on Overall Assessment of Speaker's Experience of Stuttering (OASES) | 6 weeks post-treatment | Standardised assessment of the functional impact of stuttering on a person's life |
Countries
United Kingdom
Outcome results
None listed