Neural Mechanisms for Stopping Ongoing Speech Production (Study 2)

Speech and communication disorders often result in aberrant control of the timing of speech production, such as making improper stops at places where they should not be. During normal speech, the ability to stop when necessary is important for maintaining turn-taking in a smooth conversation. Existing studies have largely investigated neural circuits that support the preparation and generation of speech sounds. It is believed that activity in the prefrontal and premotor cortical areas facilitates high-level speech control and activity in the ventral part of the sensorimotor cortex controls the articulator (e.g. lip, jaw, tongue) movements. However, little is known about the neural mechanism controlling a sudden and voluntary stop of speech. Traditional view attributes this to a disengagement of motor signals while recent evidence suggested there may be an inhibitory control mechanism. This gap in knowledge limits our understanding of disorders like stuttering and aphasia, where deficits in speech timing control are among the common symptoms. The overall goal of this study is to determine how the brain controls the stopping of ongoing speech production to deepen our understanding of speech and communication in normal and impaired conditions.

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Key information

Conditions

Epilepsy Behavior Brain Diseases Central Nervous System Diseases Communication Nervous System Diseases Speech Verbal Behavior

Age range

8 year–26 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15224, United States

About this study

Intracranial electroencephalography (iEEG) is a state-of-the-art technique with fine spatial and temporal resolutions that are well suited for studying the neural dynamics of speech. This study proposes to assess speech production in patients who are undergoing iEEG recording to carry out clinical procedures for indications related to their medical condition. The research study team will investigate neural signals correlated with speech stopping using speech production and stopping tasks with visual cues. The research study team will compare effects on neural activity within each individual subject and identify common patterns of activity across subjects. The aims of this study seek to determine the role of the premotor network for stopping during naturalistic usage. This study will provide basic knowledge for the precise control of speech stopping and the control of speech timing in general, bridging the current speech production studies to real-world communication conditions, and help inspire new theories of speech motor control.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

Undergoing iEEG placement in regions of interest (e.g., in the frontal or temporal cortex) for clinically necessary localization of epileptic foci or language mapping
Fluent English speakers
Within the normal range for cognitive, speech-language, and hearing capacity
Normal or corrected-to-normal visual acuity

Exclusion criteria

Individuals with intellectual disability
Lack of fluent English comprehension/production
Inadequate speech ability for the research tasks.
History of autism or ADHD

Treatment and study plan

Speech Production Tasks

Behavioral

View visual cues and undergo speech production.

Primary outcomes

Mean Change in Neural Activity

Time frame: During inpatient hospitalization, up to 14 days after surgical electrode implantation

Neural signal recorded at each electrode (measured in voltage) is bandpass-filtered and converted to analytic amplitude using Hilbert transform, and then Z-scored relative to the entire recording block period for that electrode. A Z-score of 0 represents the mean neural activity within the recording block period, during which the task is performed. A positive Z-score indicates higher neural activity compared to the block mean. The mean change in neural activity was calculated as the difference between the average Z-score in two time windows (~1 second after the visual cue vs. ~1 second before), averaged across trials for each electrode and then across electrodes from all participants. Positive values of the mean change in neural activity indicate that neural activity was increased after the visual cue. Since the Z-score used here is a normalized neurophysiological measure rather than a clinical scale, there are no established thresholds or definitions of better or worse outcomes.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Lingyun Zhao

Other

Collaborators

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)

Registry information

Important dates

Study start: 2026
Primary completion: 2028
Study completion: 2028
First posted: Jul 20, 2026
Registry last updated: Jul 20, 2026

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

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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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