There are over 80 million people in the world who stutter. Among them are many famous people, such as US President Joe Biden and the King of Rock and Roll Elvis Presley. Stuttering, or logoneurosis, is a speech defect in which the smoothness, integrity and tempo of speech are disrupted. It is noteworthy that stuttering can be different – some people repeat words or syllables, others simply prolong sounds. Sometimes people simply experience interruptions and stupor in speech. But, in any case, it usually interferes with everyday life. Stuttering often affects a person's self-esteem, makes social contact difficult and has other negative consequences. But despite the fact that this stuttering is extremely common, it is still very poorly understood. In particular, scientists do not fully understand why people stutter in the first place.
Stuttering and its causes are still poorly understood. Photo source: baltija.eu
Contents
- 1 Why does stuttering occur
- 2 How does the brain of people who stutter differ from those who do not stutter
- 3 The most common type of stuttering
- 4 How the environment affects stuttering
- 5 Do stuttering medications help
Why does stuttering occur?
Scientists have too little information to prove one or another cause of stuttering. The thing is that, unlike many other disorders that are studied on animals, stuttering can only be studied on people.
If we talk about the mechanisms of stuttering, it occurs as a result of spasms of the speech apparatus – the tongue, palate, lips or larynx muscles. Sometimes people have breathing spasms. However, it is not completely known what causes all these spasms from the point of view of neurobiology. Most researchers agree that logoneurosis is associated with a combination of various factors. These include genetics, the human environment, as well as some changes in the structure and functions of the brain.
Stuttering can develop even in adulthood. Photo source: hotgeo.ru
By its nature, stuttering is divided into two types – congenital (genetic) and acquired. The latter includes stuttering after a traumatic brain injury, stroke, as a result of Parkinson's disease, etc. Stuttering can also occur after infectious diseases. It is often a concomitant diagnosis in diseases of the central nervous system, such as cerebral palsy (CP).
How the brain of people who stutter differs from those who do not stutter
It is known that stuttering is accompanied by an increase in tone and the emergence of convulsive readiness of the motor (motor) nerve speech centers of the brain. But why does it occur? As has already been said above, scientists believe that one of the reasons is the differences in the structure and functions of the brain.
During the course of research, it was discovered that these differences are concentrated in the frontal gyrus and the left motor cortex. These areas of the brain are responsible for planning and pronouncing words.
Scientists have discovered differences in the brains of people who stutter. Photo source: rkob.ru
For example, one 2016 study found that adults who stutter have reduced regional cerebral blood flow in the superior frontal gyrus and Broca's area. A recent study also found that stuttering may be associated with a disruption in the network of neurons in the brain. These neurons connect three areas of the brain that are involved in regulating emotions, controlling movements, and transmitting information between different parts of the brain.
The Most Common Type of Stuttering
The most common and at the same time mysterious is the so-called developmental stuttering. It occurs in children between the ages of 2 and 5, but in 90% of children it disappears before adulthood. Scientists have several hypotheses regarding the causes of this speech defect.
One of the main reasons is most likely genetics. According to some studies, genes are responsible for this speech defect in more than 80% of cases. Scientists have even been able to determine which genes are responsible for stuttering.
Most often, people begin to stutter at the age of 2-5 years, but in 90% of cases this speech defect goes away on its own. Photo source: drameenent.com
However, it remains unclear why men stutter four times more often than women. Perhaps this is due to the fact that they are simply more resistant to the inheritance of stuttering.
How the environment affects stuttering
There is an opinion that children stutter after a fright at an early age. This is confirmed by many people who stutter. But this is not the only example of how the environment affects stuttering.
Often conflicts at work, problems in personal life, anxiety and overwork increase the signs of stuttering. Moreover, for these reasons, adults who usually do not stutter can begin to stutter. Also, stuttering in adults can occur as a result of a concussion. However, most often it goes away on its own over time.
Men stutter four times more often than women. Photo source: championat.com
Some conditions, on the contrary, allow people with this speech disorder to speak practically without stuttering. For example, this happens when people are alone.
Do stuttering medications help?
Currently, there are stuttering medications, but they do not cure this disorder, but only reduce stuttering. There are currently no effective methods for treating stuttering. Therefore, scientists recommend that society simply accept stuttering as a form of verbal diversity, and not a deviation that needs to be “treated”.
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First of all, this will allow stuttering people not to experience complexes about their existing defect. As a result, people will stutter less and feel less discomfort about it.