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Auditory prediction and error evaluation in the speech of individuals who stutter

Award Number: R01DC020162
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DEAFNESS AND OTHER COMMUNICATION DISORDERS
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

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Auditory prediction and error evaluation in the speech of individuals who stutter - PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT Stuttering is a speech fluency disorder that negatively impacts the communicative abilities of 5–8% of children and 1% of adults. Stuttering also limits the individual’s academic-occupational achievement and social- psychological wellbeing. Unfortunately, existing stuttering treatments are associated with considerable individual variation in their outcomes, and in some cases, are entirely ineffective. Additionally, existing treatments require many sessions, and some are susceptible to as much as 70% relapse, leading to costly solutions with limited accessibility, especially for individuals from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. A major barrier to developing effective stuttering treatments is our incomplete understanding of the specific neural processes underlying the behavioral aspects of stuttering. There is a critical need to (1) identify the deficient neural processes underlying stuttering, (2) determine their functional contributions to breakdowns in speech fluency, and (3) develop neural and behavioral interventions that specifically target the deficient processes, and thus, promote fluency in individuals who stutter. Current speech theories posit that as the brain prepares speech movements, it uses its predictions to prepare the sensory systems for more efficient and accurate speech monitoring. These predictive sensorimotor processes and their interplay with error-detection processes are critical for fluent speech production. This project’s overall objective is to elucidate the role of predictive sensorimotor processes in the breakdowns of speech fluency in children and adults who stutter. We will address this question using behavioral and neurophysiological recordings combined with neurostimulation techniques. Our central hypothesis is that stuttering is associated with deficits in predictive sensorimotor processes, leading to inaccurate predictions. Aim 1 will evaluate the effects of exposure to auditory errors on predictive sensorimotor processes of individuals who stutter across the lifespan. Aim 2 will characterize the temporal alignment of prediction and auditory feedback by delaying auditory feedback or speech initiation. Aim 3 will determine the functional contributions of the speech premotor cortex in predictive sensorimotor processes. Overall, the expected outcome of this mechanistic research program is a detailed neuro-developmental account of deficits in predictive processes of stuttering individuals across the lifespan. This project’s results will have a critical positive impact because (1) they will form a robust scientific foundation for developing neural and behavioral interventions for stuttering, and (2) they will have significant implications for theories of stuttering and speech production.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = $481,589 )
2025	2025	ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY	660 S MILL AVENUE STE 204	TEMPE	AZ	85281	MARICOPA	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	3	12/18/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$481,589
														Subtotal = $481,589

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $538,436 )
2024	2024	ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY	660 S MILL AVENUE STE 204	TEMPE	AZ	85281	MARICOPA	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	001	2	5/2/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$53,845
2024	2024	ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY	660 S MILL AVENUE STE 204	TEMPE	AZ	85281	MARICOPA	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	2	12/14/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$484,591
														Subtotal = $538,436

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $554,713 )
2023	2023	ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY	660 S MILL AVE STE 312	TEMPE	AZ	85281	MARICOPA	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	1	12/30/2022	NEW	$554,713
														Subtotal = $554,713

Grand Total All Awards = $1,574,738

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Auditory prediction and error evaluation in the speech of individuals who stutter

Award Number: R01DC020162

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DEAFNESS AND OTHER COMMUNICATION DISORDERS

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

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