Brain Imaging for Speech Learning

Overseen By David Ostry

Age: 18 - 65

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Yale University

Must not be taking: Psychoactive medications

Disqualifiers: Epilepsy, Neurological disorders, Pregnancy, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 2

50 Participants Needed

Trial Summary

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial excludes participants who are taking psychoactive medications, so you may need to stop taking those if you are currently on them. The protocol does not specify about other types of medications.

What data supports the effectiveness of the treatment Adaptation for speech learning?

Research shows that speech motor adaptation, which involves changes in brain connectivity, can improve speech motor control and learning. This suggests that the treatment Adaptation may help in speech learning by enhancing the brain's ability to adapt and improve speech-related functions. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Is the brain imaging treatment for speech learning safe for humans?

The study using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) found that it did not affect vowel production, suggesting it is safe for speech adaptation purposes. ^{6 7 8 9 10}

How does the Adaptation treatment for speech learning differ from other treatments?

The Adaptation treatment for speech learning is unique because it focuses on altering somatosensory inputs to enhance speech motor learning, which involves changes in brain connectivity between auditory and somatosensory areas. This approach is different from other treatments that may not specifically target these neural pathways or use robotic devices to modify sensory feedback. ^{3 8 10 11 12}

What is the purpose of this trial?

The overall goal of this research is to test a new model of speech motor learning, whose central hypothesis is that learning and retention are associated with plasticity not only in motor areas of the brain but in auditory and somatosensory regions as well. The strategy for the proposed research is to identify individual brain areas that contribute causally to retention by disrupting their activity with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Investigators will also use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) which will enable identification of circuit-level activity which predicts either learning or retention of new movements, and hence test the specific contributions of candidate sensory and motor zones. In other studies, investigators will record sensory and motor evoked potentials over the course of learning to determine the temporal order in which individual sensory and cortical motor regions contribute. The goal here is to identify brain areas in which learning-related plasticity occurs first and which among these areas predict subsequent learning.

Research Team

David Ostry

Principal Investigator

Yale University

Eligibility Criteria

This trial is for individuals who are interested in participating in research about speech. There are specific criteria to join, but they aren't listed here.

Inclusion Criteria

Right-handed

My hearing is normal.

No speech disorder or reading disability

Exclusion Criteria

I have metal implants in my brain, skull, or spinal cord.

Medication infusion device

I or someone in my family has epilepsy, a neurological disorder, or I've had a concussion.

Timeline

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Speech Motor Learning

Participants perform learning tasks with altered auditory feedback and undergo fMRI. This session lasts 30 minutes.

1 day

1 visit (in-person)

Retention Assessment

Participants return 24 hours later to assess retention of learning using fMRI and other measures.

1 day

1 visit (in-person)

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for safety and effectiveness after the main trial activities

4 weeks

Treatment Details

Interventions

• Adaptation

Trial Overview The study aims to understand how the brain learns and retains speech movements. It will use fMRI scans and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to disrupt brain activity and track learning-related changes in sensory and motor areas of the brain.

Participant Groups

Group I: Control Condition Experimental Treatment 2 Interventions

Participants in a control condition who will undergo the same procedures, without altered feedback

Group II: Altered auditory feedback + fMRI Experimental Treatment 2 Interventions

Participants will perform learning tasks then undergo fMRI. This procedure will be repeated on day 2. Functional connectivity patterns between regions that predict learning will be assessed. Participants then leave the laboratory and return 24 hours later to assess retention of learning.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Yale University

Lead Sponsor

Trials

1,963

Recruited

3,046,000+

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)

Collaborator

Trials

377

Recruited

190,000+

Findings from Research

Disruption of the articulatory representation in the left primary motor cortex (M1) using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) impairs the ability to adapt speech in response to altered auditory feedback, indicating a causal role of M1 in speech sensorimotor adaptation.

Participants who received rTMS over the tongue representation did not show the expected compensatory changes in their speech production, while those who received rTMS over the hand representation successfully adapted, highlighting the specific contribution of the tongue area in M1 to speech learning.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Disruption of speech motor adaptation with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation of the articulatory representation in primary motor cortex. Tang, DL., McDaniel, A., Watkins, KE.[2022]

Speech motor learning involves significant changes in how the brain processes both auditory and somatosensory information, as shown through experiments with altered auditory feedback.

As participants adapted their speech to correct for changes in auditory feedback, there were measurable changes in their speech outputs and corresponding neural responses, indicating a close relationship between sensory processing and motor adaptation.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Speech motor learning changes the neural response to both auditory and somatosensory signals. Ito, T., Coppola, JH., Ostry, DJ.[2018]

Participants who practiced producing novel speech sequences showed significant improvements in accuracy and speed, indicating effective motor learning over 2 days.

fMRI results revealed that successful speech motor learning engages specific brain regions associated with both general motor learning and feedback-based speech processes, suggesting a complex neural network is involved in mastering speech sequences.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The neural correlates of speech motor sequence learning. Segawa, JA., Tourville, JA., Beal, DS., et al.[2021]

References

1. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The impact of phonological versus semantic repetition training on generalisation in chronic stroke aphasia reflects differences in dorsal pathway connectivity. [2019]

2. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Early functional magnetic resonance imaging activations predict language outcome after stroke. [2010]

3. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Neural Basis of Sensorimotor Plasticity in Speech Motor Adaptation. [2020]

4. Netherlands pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A functional MRI protocol for localizing language comprehension in the human brain. [2019]

5. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The neural substrates of improved phonological processing following successful treatment in a case of phonological alexia and agraphia. [2019]

6. Italy pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Disruption of speech motor adaptation with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation of the articulatory representation in primary motor cortex. [2022]

7. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Speech motor learning changes the neural response to both auditory and somatosensory signals. [2018]

8. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

An Investigation of Place and Voice Features Using fMRI-Adaptation. [2021]

9. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The neural correlates of speech motor sequence learning. [2021]

10. Switzerland pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Fast mapping of novel word forms traced neurophysiologically. [2021]

11. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Changes in neural activity associated with learning to articulate novel auditory pseudowords by covert repetition. [2021]

12. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Adaptive phonemic coding in the listening and speaking brain. [2020]