Investigating the SMA's Role in Speech and Reading Fluency in PWS with rTMS: A Pilot Study

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Temiz G., Özdemir R. S.

12th European Congress of Speech and Language Therapy, Bruges, Belçika, 26 - 28 Eylül 2024, ss.188, (Özet Bildiri)

  • Yayın Türü: Bildiri / Özet Bildiri
  • Basıldığı Şehir: Bruges
  • Basıldığı Ülke: Belçika
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.188
  • İstanbul Medipol Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Background: Stuttering has been associated with the impaired functioning of the cortico-basal-thalamo-cortical system, which includes the basal ganglia and the supplementary motor area (SMA), responsible for functions like motor planning and executing complex motor movements. Studies have shown that the SMA is among the areas supporting the fundamental components of word production and may play an important role in speech fluency. Therefore, it is thought that the SMA may play an important role in stuttering characterized by involuntary speech interruptions. While studies investigating the relationship between the SMA and stuttering are limited, there is a need for further investigation into this relationship. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive neuromodulation technique. TMS can transiently increase or decrease neural activity. With this feature, TMS allows understanding the neurophysiology of stuttering and investigating the brain-behavior relationship. Therefore, repetitive TMS (rTMS) was used in the current study. Aim/Objectives: The aim of the current study is to investigate the relationship between the SMA and speech and reading fluency in adults with stuttering using rTMS. Methods: The current study is a pilot study conducted with 2 participants. In the study, rTMS was applied three times in a randomized manner, targeting bilateral SMA, left SMA, and sham conditions. With rTMS, inhibitory (1Hz) stimulation was applied for 10 minutes. Participants performed speech and reading tasks before and after each rTMS session. Video recordings were taken during these tasks. Stuttering severity will be measured and compared using the SSI-4-TR (to be published) based on the obtained video recordings. Results: Participants attended three rTMS sessions and performed a reading task before and after each session, along with three speech tasks, resulting in a total of 48 video recordings. The video analysis process is ongoing. Conclusions: The results will be presented at the conference.