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NCT Number: NCT07215884

Dopamine and Sensorimotor Function in Stuttering

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.

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Key information

Conditions

Stuttering, Adult Communication Disorders Language Disorders Nervous System Diseases Neurobehavioral Manifestations Neurologic Manifestations Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Signs and Symptoms Speech Disorders Stuttering

Age range

18 year–65 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Phase 1

Primary location

Biomagentic Imaging Lab

San Francisco, California, 94143, United States

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

John Houde, PhD

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Natalie Brunwin, MS

CONTACT

[email protected]

415-476-6888

Srikantan Nagarajan, PhD

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

About this study

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.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

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)

Treatment and study plan

Aripiprazole 10 MG

Drug

The effects of aripiprazole on stuttering and various behavioral and neural outcomes will be studied compared to placebo.

Placebo

Drug

Placebo will be compared against aripiprazole for effect on stuttering and various behavioral and neural markers.

Primary outcomes

  1. Pre-speech auditory modulation

    Time frame: 3-4 hours after intervention dose is delivered

    Pre-speech auditory modulation (PSAM) is a measure of auditory cortical activity (as collect via magnetoencephalography) in response to a speaking and and matching silent reading task.

  2. Speaking Induced Suppression (SIS)

    Time frame: 3-4 hours after intervention

    SIS is a phenomenon measured through magnetoencephalography that is a marker of auditory cortical response to self-produced speech compared with playback of the same speech.

  3. Centering

    Time frame: 3-4 hours after intervention

    This is a speech behavior associated with SIS involving a reduction of speech variability from speech onset to mid-utterances. This is derived from auditory recordings occurring during magnetoencephalography collection.

  4. Feedback alterations

    Time frame: 3-4 hours after intervention

    This is a measure of fluency enhancement by altered speech feedback (manipulated by methods such as masking noise, frequency shifted feedback,. etc.) This is measured through audio recordings and brain activation patterns during magnetoencephalography.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Natalie Brunwin, MS

CONTACT

[email protected]

4154766888

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of California, San Francisco

Other

Collaborators

  • National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
  • University of Washington

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
Oct 14, 2025
Registry last updated
Oct 14, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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