Useful information on CBD oil, the labelling of CBD products and consumer protections can be found in this article on which. If you want to find out more about stammering, we have a wide selection of books and DVDs available to borrow from our Library.
Skip to main navigation Skip to main content. About Stammering. What causes stammering? Go to What is Stammering? Got any questions? Looking for help? See our Get Support section. Download or order information leaflets. Can it be Cured? Our Library. Maguire has been tackling stuttering from a very different angle: investigating the role of dopamine, a key signalling molecule in the brain.
Dopamine can ramp up or down the activity of neurons, depending on the brain location and the nerve receptors it sticks to. There are five different dopamine receptors named D1, D2, and so on that pick up the signal and respond.
During the s, Maguire and colleagues were among the first to use a certain kind of brain scan, positron emission tomography, on people who stutter. That extra dopamine seems to stifle the activity of some of the brain regions that Chang and others have linked to stuttering. Backing up the dopamine connection, other researchers reported in that people with a certain version of the D2 receptor gene, one that indirectly enhances dopamine activity, are more likely to stutter. So Maguire wondered: could blocking dopamine be the answer?
Conveniently, many antipsychotic drugs do just that. Over the years, Maguire has conducted small, successful clinical studies with these medications including risperidone , olanzapine and lurasidone. The corpus callosum — the orange arch beneath the folded cerebrum — facilitates communication between the hemispheres of the brain Credit: Science Photo Library.
None of those medications are approved for stuttering by the US Food and Drug Administration, and they can cause unpleasant side effects, such as weight gain, muscle stiffness and impaired movement.
In a small study of 10 adult volunteers, Maguire, Yaruss and colleagues found that people who took ecopipam stuttered less than they did pre-treatment. Quality-of-life scores, related to feelings such as helplessness or acceptance of their stutter, also improved for some participants. Back in Michigan, Chang hopes that the stimulation of specific parts of the brain during speech could improve fluency. The team uses electrodes on the scalp to gently stimulate a segment of the hearing area, aiming to strengthen connections between that spot and the one that manages speech movements.
This causes a brief tickling sensation before fading, Chang says. Because of the Covid pandemic, the team had to stop the study with 24 subjects out of a planned Dopamine, cellular waste disposal, neural connectivity — how do they fit together? She hopes that neuroimaging can unite the different ideas. As the brain continues to develop, some of these problems resolve or the brain can compensate, which is why many children "grow out" of stammering.
Genes are also thought to have a role. Around 2 in 3 people who stammer have a family history of stammering, which suggests the genes a child inherits from their parents might make them more likely to develop a stammer. You should get advice if you have any concerns about your child's speech or language development. Treatment for stammering is often successful in pre-school age children, so it's important to be referred to a specialist as soon as possible. Talk to a GP or health visitor about your concerns.
If necessary, they may refer your child to a speech and language therapist SLT for an assessment. In many areas, you can phone children's speech and language services directly and refer your child yourself. Stamma The British Stammering Association has more information and support for people who stammer and parents of stammering children.
You can call the helpline on from Monday to Friday 10am to midday and 6pm to 8pm to find out about the services available in your area. Scientists have been working for years to try and find out whether there is a cause and whether there is a cure. So far all that has been agreed is that the problem is highly complicated.
It probably isn't caused by one single thing. It's more likely that it is the result of a combination of things. More importantly the 'ingredients' of stammering are probably different for every person who has a stammer and that the things that help stammering may be slightly different for everyone too.
There seems to be some link between the way in which a child develops speech and language which is important.
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