A positron emission tomography study of short- and long-term treatment effects on functional brain activation in adults who stutter.
Previous studies have shown that fluency-inducing techniques, such as choral speech, result in changes in neural activation as measured by functional neuroimaging. In the present study, positron emission tomography was used to investigate the effects of intensive behavioural treatment, followed by a 1-year maintenance program, on the pattern of cortical and subcortical activation in stuttering adults during silent and oral reading of single words. The results indicate changes in activation lateralisation, as well as a general reduction in over-activation, especially in the motor cortex, following treatment. The results are discussed in light of previous functional imaging studies with stuttering adults.


OBJECTIVE
The reader will learn about and be able to describe the: (1) use of functional neuroimaging PET in the study of stuttering; (2) differences in neural activation between stuttering and non-stuttering adults; and (3) effects of behavioural fluency treatment on cortical and subcortical activations in stuttering speakers.
De Nil
Luc F
LF
Graduate Department of Speech-Language Pathology, University of Toronto, Ont., Canada M5G 1V7. luc.denil@utoronto.ca
Kroll
Robert M
RM
Lafaille
Sophie J
SJ
Houle
Sylvain
S
D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013070:Speech Therapy; D013342:Stuttering / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D013997:Time Factors; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed / Q000379:methods; D016896:Treatment Outcome