How children's brains process speech when they stutter
Neural Processing of Speech Signals in Children Who Stutter
This project uses brain imaging to understand how children who stutter process speech sounds compared with fluent peers.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Pittsburgh, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11291305 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
From a child's point of view, researchers will record brain activity while kids do simple listening and speaking tasks to see how speech sounds are encoded. The team will use a mix of EEG and MRI alongside behavioral tests to compare children who stutter with peers who do not. Tasks will include easy and harder listening situations to see how attention and auditory systems affect speech processing. The goal is to map specific brain pathways that work differently in children who stutter so future treatments can target them.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are children who stutter, typically in the preschool to early school-age range who can follow simple instructions and tolerate EEG and MRI procedures.
Not a fit: Participants should not expect immediate therapy benefits from this imaging research, and adults or children unable to undergo neuroimaging are unlikely to be included or helped directly by this grant.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to specific neural targets that guide more precise, brain-informed therapies for childhood stuttering.
How similar studies have performed: Prior work has identified atypical speech-processing patterns in children who stutter, but combining multimodal imaging with task-demand manipulations is a newer, less-tested approach.
Where this research is happening
Pittsburgh, United States
- University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh — Pittsburgh, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hampton Wray, Amanda M — University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh
- Study coordinator: Hampton Wray, Amanda M
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.