Establish the Role of Premotor and Motor Cortices in tDCS-facilitated Speech Motor Learning

Launched by NEW YORK UNIVERSITY · Apr 6, 2023

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying how different types of brain stimulation might help with learning to produce new speech sounds. Participants will practice saying made-up words, and researchers will compare the effects of various stimulation methods on their speech abilities. These methods include using anodal or cathodal stimulation on specific parts of the brain related to speech and motor control, as well as a "sham" version that doesn’t provide any real stimulation. The goal is to understand whether stimulating certain brain areas is important for learning to speak more accurately, which could eventually help people with speech difficulties.

To participate, individuals need to be native English speakers who haven’t been exposed to certain other languages that include similar sounds. They should not have any history of speech, language, or hearing disorders and must pass a hearing test. Participants will engage in speech training sessions, and they will be monitored to see how well they learn to produce the new sounds. This study is a great opportunity for healthy adults aged 18 to 65 who meet the criteria and want to contribute to research that could benefit people with speech impairments in the future.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • native English speaker (learned English in the home from birth)
• • no exposure to languages that contain the trained consonant clusters (e.g., Slavic languages, Greek, Hebrew).
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • a history of speech, language or hearing disorder
• • not passing a hearing screening (40 dB HL; ANSI: 1983) at 500, 1000, 2000, 4000Hz binaurally
• • presence of potential tDCS risk factors: damaged skin at site of stimulation; presence of electrically or magnetically activated implant (including pacemaker); and metal in any part of their body