Neural mechanisms underlying different aspects of pseudostuttering versus fluent speech during spontaneous speech production.

Neural mechanisms underlying different aspects of pseudostuttering versus fluent speech during spontaneous speech production. | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Neural mechanisms underlying different aspects of pseudostuttering versus fluent speech during spontaneous speech production. Alexandra Niephaus, Kerstin Konrad, Janina Guzik, Julia Pape-Neumann, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3942588/v2 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 2 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Show more versions Abstract Although “artificial stuttering”, also known as pseudostuttering, represents a well-controlled technique for exploring disfluencies in spontaneous speech, little is known about the exact neural mechanisms involved in pseudostuttering. More specifically, previous research has not considered different types of pseudostuttering symptoms, such as repetitions or prolongations. To address this research gap, we performed functional near-infrared spectroscopy on N = 31 adult participants to measure their brain activity in left fronto-parieto-temporal regions during spontaneous speech under three conditions: habitual (fluent) speech, voluntary produced repetitions, and prolongations. We found greater activation during pseudostuttering than during habitual speech in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, inferior frontal gyrus, middle temporal gyrus, premotor cortex, supplementary motor area, supramarginal gyrus, and superior temporal gyrus, with no significant differences between repetitions and prolongations. These results support previous activation findings in the supplementary motor area and superior temporal gyrus obtained during simulated repetitions while reading and extend them to include activations in cortical areas related to speech motor control, sentence generation and working memory during simulated prolongations and repetitions in naturalistic spontaneous speech production. Our findings underscore the potential of employing pseudostuttering paradigms in real-world contexts, such as conversational discourse, as a valuable tool to elucidate the neural underpinnings of speech disfluency and its implications for the speaker. Biological sciences/Neuroscience/Cognitive neuroscience/Language Physical sciences/Physics/Techniques and instrumentation/Spectroscopy/Near infrared spectroscopy pseudostuttering fNIRS spontaneous speech repetitions prolongations Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Supplementary Files S1file.docx S1 File. Additional information on the pseudostuttering workshop. S2file.docx S2 File. Additional statistical results. S3file.docx S3 File. Statistical packages and used functions. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 2 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Show more versions Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-3942588","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":275681511,"identity":"49fe75f8-eb87-475b-8202-4dd7f72905e1","order_by":0,"name":"Alexandra Niephaus","email":"data:image/png;base64,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","orcid":"","institution":"RWTH Aachen University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Alexandra","middleName":"","lastName":"Niephaus","suffix":""},{"id":275681512,"identity":"66a0a3ef-5100-4ce5-9cf1-f9c3d1221959","order_by":1,"name":"Kerstin Konrad","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"RWTH Aachen University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Kerstin","middleName":"","lastName":"Konrad","suffix":""},{"id":275681513,"identity":"738a5ce8-3b6b-4385-8d95-fc60ebd4da99","order_by":2,"name":"Janina Guzik","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"RWTH Aachen University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Janina","middleName":"","lastName":"Guzik","suffix":""},{"id":275681514,"identity":"700ac110-2983-454f-8cff-c4c98d25fa78","order_by":3,"name":"Julia Pape-Neumann","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Training Academy for Healthcare Professions, Universityhospital RWTH Aachen","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Julia","middleName":"","lastName":"Pape-Neumann","suffix":""},{"id":275681515,"identity":"0d66b01d-c2e4-4d52-a531-b644fe600ecd","order_by":4,"name":"Vanessa Reindl","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"RWTH Aachen University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Vanessa","middleName":"","lastName":"Reindl","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2024-02-09 09:32:09","currentVersionCode":2,"declarations":{"humanSubjects":false,"vertebrateSubjects":false,"conflictsOfInterestStatement":false,"humanSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false,"humanSubjectConsent":false,"humanSubjectClinicalTrial":false,"humanSubjectCaseReport":false,"vertebrateSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false},"doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-3942588/v2","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3942588/v2","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":59056374,"identity":"779fd0bb-3d51-4b4c-9293-0091f0be87b1","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-06-25 21:33:56","extension":"tif","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":647800,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eExperimental design and trial structure in the a) habitual speech condition and b) pseudostuttering conditions.\u003c/strong\u003e Abbreviations: HS, habitual speech condition; R, repetition condition; P, prolongation condition.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Fig1.tif","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3942588/v2/3146e52b6934d6f5641702b9.tif"},{"id":59056281,"identity":"8350b4bd-4dcf-4060-9083-666d24f5ce56","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-06-25 21:25:56","extension":"tif","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":1029636,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003efNIRS probe placement.\u003c/strong\u003e a) Estimated anatomical locations of the measurement channels (1-17, in yellow boxes); emitters are presented in red and receivers in blue. b) Probe placement on participant’s head with landmark T3 as orientation for the placement of the probe set. The photo is not depicting an actual participant but a lab assistant for which written consent has been obtained. Abbreviations: AG, angular gyrus; DLPFC, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex; IFG, inferior frontal gyrus; ITG, inferior temporal gyrus; MTG, middle temporal gyrus; SD, short-distance channel; SMA, supplementary motor area; SMG, supramarginal gyrus; STG, superior temporal gyrus.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Fig2.tif","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3942588/v2/4eca03738c4508a4fa3cf070.tif"},{"id":59056276,"identity":"ec20fc57-2a31-4d5f-b9b0-66ccdd750ab7","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-06-25 21:25:56","extension":"tif","order_by":3,"title":"Figure 3","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":49614,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFNIRS analyses procedure.\u003c/strong\u003eDefault parameters were used if not stated otherwise. Abbreviations: hpf, high-pass filter; lpf, low-pass filter; OD, optical density.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Fig3.tif","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3942588/v2/1c4cab499cf71f7bb1673991.tif"},{"id":59056375,"identity":"0b446487-9fe8-4c00-b069-9443dbfd00c9","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-06-25 21:33:56","extension":"tif","order_by":4,"title":"Figure 4","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":175644,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHemodynamic changes per condition and channel.\u003c/strong\u003e Panel a) is presenting changes in ΔHbO and panel b) changes in ΔHbR. T-values are color-coded with red showing more positive and blue more negative t-values, respectively. Measurement channels are indicated by number. Significantly activated channels (p\u003csub\u003eadj \u003c/sub\u003e\u0026lt;.05) are marked by a green box. Abbreviations: p\u003csub\u003eadj\u003c/sub\u003e = FDR-corrected p-values.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Fig4.tif","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3942588/v2/3d3a6e32cd2e81b670eed03a.tif"},{"id":59056279,"identity":"c96fc5df-9bce-43d7-8db5-4c6dc56c1493","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-06-25 21:25:56","extension":"tif","order_by":5,"title":"Figure 5","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":590709,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMeasurement channels with significantly more neural activation during pseudostuttering than in habitual speech.\u003c/strong\u003e Neural activation is presented with following color code: red channels increased ΔHbO, blue decreased ΔHbR, green simultaneous increase of ΔHbO and decrease of ΔHbR, grey no significant activation present. Abbreviations: AG, angular gyrus; DLPFC, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex; IFG, inferior frontal gyrus; ITG, inferior temporal gyrus; MTG, middle temporal gyrus; SD, short-distance channel; SMA, supplementary motor area; SMG, supramarginal gyrus; STG, superior temporal gyrus.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Fig5.tif","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3942588/v2/d2cd0fc2882d6353d8d80753.tif"},{"id":59056274,"identity":"622f9075-06a2-4a07-9375-28178505b799","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-06-25 21:25:56","extension":"docx","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":26771,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eS1 File. Additional information on the pseudostuttering workshop.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"S1file.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3942588/v2/904c84f935ad2a321548c433.docx"},{"id":59056277,"identity":"c52eb3d5-1ede-4d71-8bbe-15374197e73a","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-06-25 21:25:56","extension":"docx","order_by":2,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":58729,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eS2 File. Additional statistical results.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"S2file.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3942588/v2/f5fff155eb2d528471a9345e.docx"},{"id":59056373,"identity":"df3355da-f2da-44ef-95ca-7d8188271104","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-06-25 21:33:56","extension":"docx","order_by":3,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":28708,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eS3 File. 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More specifically, previous research has not considered different types of pseudostuttering symptoms, such as repetitions or prolongations. To address this research gap, we performed functional near-infrared spectroscopy on \u003cem\u003eN\u003c/em\u003e= 31 adult participants to measure their brain activity in left fronto-parieto-temporal regions during spontaneous speech under three conditions: habitual (fluent) speech, voluntary produced repetitions, and prolongations. We found greater activation during pseudostuttering than during habitual speech in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, inferior frontal gyrus, middle temporal gyrus, premotor cortex, supplementary motor area, supramarginal gyrus, and superior temporal gyrus, with no significant differences between repetitions and prolongations. These results support previous activation findings in the supplementary motor area and superior temporal gyrus obtained during simulated repetitions while reading and extend them to include activations in cortical areas related to speech motor control, sentence generation and working memory during simulated prolongations and repetitions in naturalistic spontaneous speech production. 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