Stuttering and gray matter morphometry: A population-based neuroimaging study in young children

S P C Koenraads; H El Marroun; R L Muetzel; S E Chang; M W Vernooij; R J Baatenburg de Jong; T White; M C Franken; M P van der Schroeff

doi:10.1016/j.bandl.2019.04.008

Stuttering and gray matter morphometry: A population-based neuroimaging study in young children

Brain Lang. 2019 Jul:194:121-131. doi: 10.1016/j.bandl.2019.04.008. Epub 2019 May 10.

Authors

S P C Koenraads¹, H El Marroun², R L Muetzel³, S E Chang⁴, M W Vernooij⁵, R J Baatenburg de Jong⁶, T White⁷, M C Franken⁶, M P van der Schroeff⁸

Affiliations

¹ Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Electronic address: s.koenraads@erasmusmc.nl.
² Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Psychology, Education and Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Pediatrics, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
³ The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
⁴ Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States.
⁵ The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Radiology & Nuclear Medicine, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
⁶ Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
⁷ The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
⁸ Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

PMID: 31085031
DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2019.04.008

Abstract

Stuttering is a developmental speech disorder originating in early childhood. We aimed to replicate the association of stuttering and structural morphometry using a large, population-based prospective cohort, the Generation R Study, and explore the neurobiological mechanism of stuttering in children. Twenty-six children with a history of stuttering and 489 fluent speaking peers (ages 6-9) were included in the MRI sub-study. Cortical and subcortical regions of interest were analyzed using linear regression models. Compared to fluent speakers, children with a history of stuttering had less gray matter volume in the left inferior frontal gyrus and supplementary motor area. Exploratory surface-based brain analysis showed thinner cortex in the left inferior frontal gyrus, and in bilateral frontal and parietal areas. These findings corroborate previous studies that reported aberrant brain morphometry in speech motor and auditory regions in children who stutter. Future research is needed to explore the causal nature of this association.

Keywords: Neuroimaging; Pediatric brain development; Structural brain morphometry; Stuttering.

MeSH terms

Cerebral Cortex / diagnostic imaging*
Child
Child, Preschool
Female
Gray Matter / diagnostic imaging
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Stuttering / diagnostic imaging*