EEG responses to auditory cues predict fluency variability and stuttering intervention outcome

Stuttering is a variable speech disorder whose brain mechanisms remain unknown. Sensorimotor brain circuits, critical for motor-speech control, including auditory processing necessary for speech prediction and monitoring, have been linked to the disorder. Despite considerable advances, it remains unclear whether auditory circuits relate to stuttering variability, and whether the panoply of interventions for persons who stutter can lead to brain changes within these circuits. We employed electroencephalography (EEG), in a group of persons who stutter, in combination with auditory probes to tap onto the importance of auditory cortical regions in stuttering variability. Participantsproduced flexible speech (i.e., describing visual scenes) and non-flexible speech (i.e., reading syllables), following an auditory cue. More pronounced P200 auditory evoked potentials were observed in participants with higher dysfluency rates, mainly in the spontaneous speech task. Interestingly, speech therapy intervention led to a reduction of the P200 potential, which was in turn significantly related to fluency improvements. Furthermore, EEG response patterns discriminative of cue frequency (400 or 800 Hz tones) were also predictive of dysfluency scores. Our study highlights the involvement of auditory cortical processing and that of auditory attention in stuttering variability. We support that a higher state of auditory alertness may be implicated in the sensorimotor mechanisms of stuttering, and that speech therapy interventions promoting more self-confident communication can restraint auditory alertness, and potentially reduce speech dysfluencies. HighlightsO_LIAuditory probes can assess the auditory cortex in speech production and stuttering. C_LIO_LIStuttering severity correlates to EEG auditory responses during speech preparation. C_LIO_LIHigher states of auditory alertness in stuttering may be reduced by speech therapy. C_LI Graphical abstract O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=123 SRC="FIGDIR/small/635719v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (25K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@18a639dorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@91efc6org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@114dd97org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@e01024_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG Speaking requires orchestrating several brain processes at a time. The auditory system assumes a central role, not only in waiting for the right moment to initiate speech, listening to self-produced speech, predicting the consequence of future speech, but also adjusting these processes to the intermittent nature of stuttering.