Brain imaging shows abnormal white matter areas in the brains of stutterers (xpost r/Science)

Brain imaging shows abnormal white matter areas in the brains of stutterers (xpost r/Science) Once treated as a psychological or emotional condition, stuttering can now be traced to brain neuroanatomy and physiology. [Two new studies from UC Santa Barbara researchers](http://www.news.ucsb.edu/2015/015020/speaking-freely) provide new insight into the treatment of the speech disorder as well as understanding its physiological basis. [The first paper](http://ajslp.pubs.asha.org/article.aspx?articleid=2108383), published in the *American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology*, finds that the [MPI stuttering treatment program](http://mpi-stuttering-treatment.com), a new treatment developed at UCSB, was twice as effective as the standard best practices protocol. [The second study](http://jslhr.pubs.asha.org/Article.aspx?articleid=2108632), which appears in the *Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research*, uses diffusion spectrum imaging (DSI) in an MRI scanner to identify abnormal areas of white matter in the brains of adult stutterers. According to co-author Janis Ingham, a professor emerita of speech and hearing sciences at UCSB and co-author of both papers, the two studies taken together demonstrate two critical points: A neuroanatomic abnormality exists in the brains of people who stutter, yet they can learn to speak fluently in spite of it. Disclaimer: I'm the CTO of the company commercializing the MPI stuttering treatment.