[R01] Digital rhythm games for stuttering intervention
Ente: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
Scadenza: 2031-06-30
Importo max: 648.923 EUR
Paese: US
Descrizione
Treatment options for stuttering remain severely limited, with reported success rates of current interventions for children who stutter failing to exceed natural (unassisted) recovery rates. There is a significant need to develop novel treatments informed by an updated neuroscientific understanding of stuttering. Systematic empirical work as well as theoretical perspectives have pointed to an association between deficits in the basal ganglia thalamocortical (BGTC) network and the onset and persistence of stuttering. A key function supported by the BGTC network is timing and initiation of speech movements essential for fluent speech production. This network is also thought to play a central role in enabling the brain to synchronize with rhythmic patterns in the environment to support “beat-based” timing, which relies on medial timing structures such as the putamen and the supplementary motor area. Supporting this view, behavioral deficits in beat-based timing have been observed in both Parkinson’s disease and stuttering. For stuttering, these behavioral deficits have also been associated with structural and functional connectivity deficits in medial timing structures. These together raise the question of whether enhancing rhythm processing and internal beat generation could modulate intrinsic timing ability supported by the BGTC network, in turn supporting improved motor control and facilitating fluent speech. The overall objective of this application is to develop and test a novel rhythm-based intervention for children who stutter that is delivered via a digital game. The premise of the game is that, to progress through the game, the player must increase reliance on beat-based timing mechanisms supported by the BGTC and strengthen connections in the beat-based timing network. Our hypothesis is that intensive rhythm training through a digital game will lead to increased rhythm processing performance, greater structural and functional connectivity of the BGTC network, and increased fluency in children who stutter. The project will build foundation for systematic, neuroscience-based intervention development for CWS by pursuing the following specific aims: 1. Determine the effects of rhythm-based gaming intervention on rhythm processing tasks; 2. Determine the effects of rhythm-based gaming intervention on structural and functional connectivity of the BGTC network; 3. Determine the effects of rhythm-based gaming intervention on speech fluency. This contribution is expected to be significant, because it directly addresses the critical lack of effective treatment options available for stuttering. Successful achievement of the aims is expected to provide a strong foundation for breakthroughs in the development of neuroscience-guided treatment for stuttering.
Istituzione: UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR
PI: Soo-Eun Chang, J. DEVIN McAULEY
Progetto: 1R01DC023753-01
Settori: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
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