Search Abstracts | Symposia | Slide Sessions | Poster Sessions
Speech Sensorimotor Oscillations in Stuttering: A Systematic Review
Poster Session A, Wednesday, September 30, 11:00 am - 1:00 pm, Wangari Maathai
This poster is part of the Sandbox Series.
Mohammed Asif Basha Chinoor1, Miriam Huarriz Gurpide2, Fatemeh Mollaei2, Mehdi Bakhtiar1; 1The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China, 2University of Reading, Reading, United Kingdom
Introduction: Stuttering is a neurodevelopmental speech disorder, with prevalence of ~1% in adults and characterised by intermittent disruptions in speech fluency. Current theoretical and computational models of speech production suggest its association with disrupted sensory-motor integration in speech. Various studies have investigated the brain oscillations (e.g., alpha, beta) using neurophysiological methods to understand the sensorimotor control deficits in stuttering. Research evidence investigating speech sensorimotor control in stuttering offers an incremental and segregated view of the cause and nature of stuttering which creates a gap in consolidated understanding. Present review aims at enhancing this understanding by systematically synthesising M/EEG literature investigating oscillatory activity for speech sensorimotor control in stuttering. Specifically, understanding stuttering trait differences (PWS v PWNS), and state differences (fluent and disfluent episodes) during planning and execution phases of speech production along with the contributing factors (e.g., employed task, sex, age, brain hemisphere) across studies. Methods: Review was pre-registered on OSF:10.17605/OSF.IO/U4S2B, followed by electronic searches of Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, SPRINGER, LILACS, and ProQuest databases for relevant studies until 18 November 2025. After title and abstract screening of 16,164 studies and 3,715 theses by two independent reviewers, a total of 38 studies and 11 theses were selected for full-text review based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Ongoing data extraction and critical appraisal of randomly selected 18 screened studies by both reviewers suggested heterogenous sample incompatible for power spectrum meta-analysis. Expected Synthesis: The extracted data will be thematically synthesised. Preliminary synthesis of 18 studies reveals nuanced patterns for the dynamic nature of feedforward and feedback control system for trait and state characteristic differences in stuttering. While the influential hypothesis proposed by Max et al 2004 suggests overreliance on feedback control and reduced feedforward control in stuttering, the synthesised empirical evidence suggests complex multifactorial dynamic nature for the cause of stuttering. For instance, during speech planning, tasks encompassing higher automaticity or predictability (e.g., syllable repetition) which rely more on feedforward-weighted control are associated with decreased beta suppression relative to the baseline in stuttering. While tasks requiring higher online monitoring or adaptation (e.g., sentence completion) with increased reliance on feedback-weighted control are associated with increased beta suppression. Interestingly, limited studies with state differences reveal similar patterns. For instance, fluent state with feedback-weighted task suggests increased beta suppression, while disfluent state with feedforward-weighted task suggests increased beta synchronisation. These preliminary contrasting trait and state oscillatory patterns suggest atypical dynamically shifting feedforward and feedback control mechanism in stuttering. Conclusion: Although the present review and relevant synthesis is ongoing, the current preliminary patterns reveal the atypical dynamic nature of feedback and feedforward control in stuttering which could be modulated by using various external and internal factors. The synthesised findings from this review would be helpful in developing a consolidated multifactorial framework to enhance the understanding of the complex trait and state interaction during planning and execution of speech in stuttering. Further, synthesis of methodological differences across studies will help in building future experimental paradigms to test for sensorimotor control in speech production.
Topic Areas: Speech Motor Control, Multisensory or Sensorimotor Integration