Neural Mechanisms for Stopping Ongoing Speech Production

NCT05876910 | Enrolling By Invitation

• 1 other identifier: K99DC020235
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 30
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Speech and communication disorders often result in aberrant control of the timing of speech production, such as making improper stops at places where they should not be. During normal speech, the ability to stop when necessary is important for maintaining turn-taking in a smooth conversation. Existing studies have largely investigated neural circuits that support the preparation and generation of speech sounds. It is believed that activity in the prefrontal and premotor cortical areas facilitates high-level speech control and activity in the ventral part of the sensorimotor cortex controls the articulator (e.g. lip, jaw, tongue) movements. However, little is known about the neural mechanism controlling a sudden and voluntary stop of speech. Traditional view attributes this to a disengagement of motor signals while recent evidence suggested there may be an inhibitory control mechanism. This gap in knowledge limits our understanding of disorders like stuttering and aphasia, where deficits in speech timing control are among the common symptoms. The overall goal of this study is to determine how the brain controls the stopping of ongoing speech production to deepen our understanding of speech and communication in normal and impaired conditions.

Conditions

Epilepsy; Speech

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Mean Change in Neural Activity

  The mean change in neural activity is calculated as the average change in neural activity across trials between a time period (\~1 second) after the visual cue and a time period (\~1 second) before the visual cue. Included neural activity is within the 30-minute period of cue viewing and speech production tasks.

  During inpatient hospitalization, up to 14 days after surgical electrode implantation

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Number of sites with stimulation induced speech termination

  During inpatient hospitalization, up to 14 days after surgical electrode implantation

Study Arms (1)

Voice and Electrocorticography (ECoG) recording during Speech Production Tasks

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants produce speech following visual cues on a computer while ECoG signals for neural activity and voice was recorded during their inpatient hospitalization at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).

Behavioral: Speech Production Tasks

Interventions

Speech Production Tasks BEHAVIORAL

View visual cues and undergo speech production for 30 minutes. Electrical stimulation of speech related brain regions in the middle of speech production.

Voice and Electrocorticography (ECoG) recording during Speech Production Tasks

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 65 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Participants with medication refractory epilepsy at UCSF undergoing surgical electrode implantation of subdural electrode arrays to define their seizure focus and
• Participants with electrodes implanted who are willing and able to cooperate with study tasks.

You may not qualify if:

• Participants who lack capacity,
• Participants who decline to provide informed consent or
• Participants with cognitive deficits that preclude reliable completion of study tasks.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of California, San Francisco: lead
• National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD): collaborator

Study Sites (1)

University of California, San Francisco

San Francisco, California, 94143, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Epilepsy; Speech

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Verbal Behavior; Communication; Behavior

Study Officials

• Lingyun Zhao, PhD

  University of California, San Francisco

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Edward F Chang, MD

  University of California, San Francisco

  STUDY CHAIR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 11, 2023
• First Posted: May 26, 2023
• Study Start: December 8, 2015
• Primary Completion (Estimated): November 30, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): November 30, 2027
• Last Updated: October 8, 2024

Record last verified: 2024-10

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)