Stuttering is among the conditions where a lot of information remains unknown for researchers. The following lecture gives description of developmental stuttering in children. In this lecture, the professor Soo-Eun Chang covers the topic from the point of causes of stuttering, the role of brain structure, and anomalies associated with stuttering development. In the paper, the imaging-genetics approach helped the researchers understand how genetics affect the brain.
The beginning of the lecture starts with the definition of stuttering and its onset. According to Soo-Eun Chang, the onset of stuttering begins in early childhood, when a child learns to speak. Additionally, the researcher states that most children recover from such condition in 80% of the cases (Chang, 2020). Moreover, this condition can be hereditary, and males are more susceptible to stuttering than females. The MRI study, later covered in the lecture, was performed with participants of 3 to 12 years old and a group of shared problems was identified (Chang, 2020). For example, children exhibited “three or more stuttering-like disfluencies (SLD-s) per 100 words” and the “parents expressed concern regarding speech fluency” (Chang, 2020, 11:21). Thus, all participants had the discussed condition and helped provide the valid results.
As for the imaging, Soo-Eun Chang further discusses the results while concentrating on anomalies and peculiarities. For instance, the researcher indicates that during the MRI procedure, the children were resting. However, reduced functional connectivity between the putamen and supplementary motor area was identified (Chang, 2020). Moreover, the expression of lysosomal trafficking genes also played a crucial role since lysosomal and metabolic functions affect the development of anomalies associated with stuttering.
Hence, the stuttering is one of the complex topics, and a lot of areas of this condition remain unknown. In this lecture, the researcher Soo-Eun Chang defined stuttering, its onsets, and anomalies in children’s brains who suffer from this condition. According to the researcher, the MRI showed several peculiarities in children’s brains. The result of the research indicated that lysosomal and metabolic functions play a crucial role in the development of stuttering risks.
References
Chang, S.E. (2020). Imaging-genetics investigations of developmental stuttering [Paper presentation]. NYU Communicative Sciences and Disorders.