New research links a brain network to stuttering

An international team of scientists from Finland, Canada, the US, and New Zealand has identified a specific brain network hub that is crucial in stuttering, a discovery that could lead to new treatment options.

The research, published in the Brain journal, explores two different types of stuttering - developmental and acquired.

Traditionally considered distinct, the study found that beyond "similarities at the behavioural level, there are also similarities at the neural level."

"Stuttering affects approximately 1% of adults and can result in significant communication problems and social anxiety, yet the cause of stuttering is still unknown," stated lead author Catherine Theys, Associate Professor at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand.

Professor Theys explained that while stuttering is typically a developmental disorder, it can also arise from focal brain damage following a stroke or other neurological conditions.

In their study, the researchers utilized two datasets and lesion network mapping to determine if lesions causing acquired stuttering correspond to a common brain network. They also used a third dataset to assess the relevance of this lesion-based network to developmental stuttering.

Through analysis of each dataset, the team identified a common stuttering network, specifically in the left putamen, which is involved in lip and face movements, as well as the timing and sequencing of speech.

Additionally, they pinpointed two other areas of interest for speech imaging and stuttering research - the claustrum and the amygdalostriatal transition area.

"These are tiny areas of the brain, only a few mm wide, which is why they may typically not have been identified in previous studies. This shows a plausible network for stuttering," the researchers noted, emphasizing that these findings have significant implications for treatment.