Scientists pinpoint likely origin of stuttering in the brain

Scientists have pinpointed the brain network that's involved in stuttering, brain scans reveal. 

The work suggests that stuttering may be triggered by disruption to a specific network of brain cells, or neurons that connects three major regions of the brain. These regions — the amygdala, the putamen and the claustrum — are respectively involved in regulating emotions, controlling movements and relaying information between different areas of the brain.

The brain imaging results were described in a recent paper, published May 27 in the journal Brain. 

Knowing what causes stuttering could aid the development of new targeted treatments for the condition, Dr. Juho Joutsa, co-senior study author and a professor of neurology at the University of Turku in Finland, told Live Science. Such treatments could include the use of electrical brain stimulation, which involves placing electrodes on or inside a patient's head and delivering pulses of electricity to target areas of the brain at specific times. 

Related: Super-detailed map of brain cells that keep us awake could improve our understanding of consciousness 

Finding a new target for treatment

Stuttering is a speech disorder that affects around 1% of adults and between 5% and 10% of children. The condition causes people to involuntarily repeat or prolong certain sounds, syllables and words as they speak, as well as experience "blocks" in speech. People who stutter can therefore experience difficulty in communicating with others, which can contribute to social anxiety. 

There are two major types of stuttering: developmental stuttering, which emerges in childhood but resolves before age 18 in up to 90% of cases, and the less-common, acquired form of stuttering, which can occur after a brain injury. These injuries include those caused by a stroke, or a disease such as Parkinson's.