Stuttering and Neuromodulation Evaluation of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Combined with Speech Therapy to Reduce Stuttering

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are evaluating the combination of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) with traditional behavioral speech therapy to reduce stuttering severity and its negative impact in adults who stutter. The study also aims to explore brain changes in regional activation and functional connectivity caused by combining tDCS with speech therapy. This is an interventional trial sponsored by NYU Langone Health. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group will receive active tDCS using the Soterix Medical 1x1 tDCS system at 2.0 mA for 30 minutes during behavioral speech therapy sessions focused on practicing speech techniques. The other group will receive sham tDCS with the same setup but no active current to maintain blinding. Each participant will complete ten treatment sessions over about ten weeks, with each session including 15 minutes of practicing speech strategies before tDCS-enhanced speaking tasks. Throughout the study, participants will be assessed at baseline and about 1-2 weeks after the intervention to measure changes in stuttering severity, self-rated stuttering impact, unhelpful thoughts about stuttering, fear of negative evaluation, and social interaction anxiety. Brain imaging will evaluate changes in regional activation and connectivity during a delayed-naming task. The trial includes safety monitoring and requires participants to attend all sessions and follow study procedures over the treatment period.

Stuttering and Neuromodulation