Dopamine and Sensorimotor Function in Stuttering

Purpose

This study is being done to understand the effect of aripiprazole on adults who stutter. Stuttering is a disorder that affects speech fluency. This study aims to understand sensorimotor pathways of stuttering and possible interventions.

Condition

  • Stuttering, Adult

Eligibility

Eligible Ages
Between 18 Years and 65 Years
Eligible Sex
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Inclusion Criteria

  • native speakers of American English - for adults who stutter, presence of stuttering will be confirmed, with onset before age 6 years - Normal hearing - Ages of 18 to 65 years - healthy adults without hearing-language difficulties

Exclusion Criteria

  • self-reported speech-language-hearing difficulties other than stuttering - self-reported neurological or psychological problems - other medications (drugs that affect dopaminergic system and/or benzodiazepines)

Study Design

Phase
Phase 1
Study Type
Interventional
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention Model
Crossover Assignment
Primary Purpose
Basic Science
Masking
Triple (Participant, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)

Arm Groups

ArmDescriptionAssigned Intervention
Active Comparator
Single dose of aripiprazole 		Single dose of aripiprazole, 10mg administered orally. Participant and administrator will be blinded.
  • Drug: Aripiprazole 10 MG
    The effects of aripiprazole on stuttering and various behavioral and neural outcomes will be studied compared to placebo.
Placebo Comparator
Placebo dose 		A single placebo dose will be administered.
  • Drug: Placebo
    Placebo will be compared against aripiprazole for effect on stuttering and various behavioral and neural markers.

Recruiting Locations

Biomagentic Imaging Lab
San Francisco, California 94143
Contact:
Natalie Brunwin, MS
415-476-6888
snl-bil@ucsf.edu

More Details

Status
Recruiting
Sponsor
University of California, San Francisco

Study Contact

Natalie Brunwin, MS
4154766888
snl-bil@ucsf.edu

Detailed Description

Stuttering is a disorder of speech fluency that affects 3.5 million people in the USA alone. The goal of this project is to assess whether fluency ehnancement with auditory feedback manipulations or with pharmacological agents that regulate dopamine uptake improve the sensorimotor functions of speech feedback prediction and processing in stuttering. This study may lay the foundation for stuttering treatments that combine dopamine regulators and behavioral treatments. Aripiprazole is an FDA-approved anti-psychotic typically used for treatment of schizophrenia or acute manic episodes. A typical dose is 10-15 mg per day, given daily for treatment. In this study, one 10 mg dose will be given. The usage in this study is purely investigational (experimental) and not FDA approved.