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The proposed study aims to investigate the effect of combined transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and behavioural speech training in improving speech fluency in Cantonese-speaking adults who stutter (AWS), and to examine its maintenance over a 6-week period.
The proposed study aims to
Twenty Cantonese-speaking AWS will be randomly assigned to an experimental group and a control group. Both groups will receive behavioral treatment for stuttering, including the speech prolongation technique, for five sessions. Concurrent with behavioural training, the experimental group will receive anodal tDCS (1 mA for 20 minutes), while the control group will receive sham tDCS (1 mA for one minute), over the SMA. Stuttering severity and speech satisfaction will be assessed independently before, immediately after, one week and six weeks after treatment. It is anticipated that AWS will experience reduction in their stuttering severity after stimulation, and the improvement will be maintained for a longer period as compared with receiving behavioural treatment alone.
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| Label | Type | Description | Intervention Names |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active tDCS | Experimental | The experimental group will receive 20 minutes of anodal HD-tDCS for five sessions, combined with 20 minutes of behavioural therapy. |
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| Sham tDCS | Sham Comparator | The control group will only receive one minute of anodal HD-tDCS stimulation which aims to create a similar sensation on the scalp as those in the experimental group, with 20 minutes of behavioural therapy. |
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| Name | Type | Description | Arm Group Labels | Other Names |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active-tDCS | Device | Active-tDCS (1 mA) over the supplementary motor area (SMA) for 5 sessions (20 minutes per session, weekly), along with behavioural therapy of speaking tasks (i.e., story narration and conversation) using the minimum prolongation technique based on the Camperdown Program. |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Stuttering severity [Percent syllables stuttered (%SS)] | %SS is based on the proportion of spoken syllables that a judge perceives to be stuttered. It will be measured by a qualified speech therapist with prior training in stuttering assessment in Cantonese who will be blinded to the treatment conditions. To establish inter-rater agreement, 20% of the speech samples across different assessment data points will be randomly selected and rated by a second speech therapist. | Change before, immediately after, one week and six weeks after treatment |
| Stuttering severity [Severity rating (SR)] | The subjects will be trained to rate their own stuttering severity based on a 9-point SR scale, with 0 = no stuttering, 1 =very mild stuttering, and 8 = the most severe stuttering. | Change before, immediately after, one week and six weeks after treatment |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Subject satisfaction | For the assessment of subject satisfaction regarding the treatment, the following two Likert-type survey questions will be asked:
|
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Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria:
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| Name | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Min Ney Wong, PhD | The Hong Kong Polytechnic University | Principal Investigator |
| Facility | Status | City | State | ZIP | Country | Contacts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Hong Kong Polytechnic University | Kowloon | Hong Kong |
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| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D013342 | Stuttering |
| D003147 | Communication Disorders |
| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D013064 | Speech Disorders |
| D007806 | Language Disorders |
| D019954 | Neurobehavioral Manifestations |
| D009461 | Neurologic Manifestations |
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Double-blinded
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| Sham-tDCS | Device | Sham-tDCS (1 mA) over the supplementary motor area (SMA) for 5 sessions (one minutes per session, weekly), along with behavioural therapy of speaking tasks (i.e., story narration and conversation) using the minimum prolongation technique based on the Camperdown Program. Participants will receive initial stimulation for one minute, eliciting a tingling sensation on the scalp then it will be discontinued. |
|
| One week and six weeks after treatment |
| D009422 | Nervous System Diseases |
| D012816 | Signs and Symptoms |
| D013568 | Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms |
| D065886 | Neurodevelopmental Disorders |
| D001523 | Mental Disorders |