Gough, Patricia and Connally, Emily L. and Howell, Peter and Ward, David and Chesters, Jennifer and Watkins, Kate E. (2018) Planum temporale asymmetry in people who stutter. Journal of Fluency Disorders, 55. pp. 94-105. ISSN 0094-730X

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Abstract

Purpose Previous studies have reported that the planum temporale – a language-related structure that normally shows a leftward asymmetry – had reduced asymmetry in people who stutter (PWS) and reversed asymmetry in those with severe stuttering. These findings are consistent with the theory that altered language lateralization may be a cause or consequence of stuttering. Here, we re-examined these findings in a larger sample of PWS. Methods We evaluated planum temporale asymmetry in structural MRI scans obtained from 67 PWS and 63 age-matched controls using: 1) manual measurements of the surface area; 2) voxel-based morphometry to automatically calculate grey matter density. We examined the influences of gender, age, and stuttering severity on planum temporale asymmetry. Results The size of the planum temporale and its asymmetry were not different in PWS compared with Controls using either the manual or the automated method. Both groups showed a significant leftwards asymmetry on average (about one-third of PWS and Controls showed rightward asymmetry). Importantly, and contrary to previous reports, the degree of asymmetry was not related to stuttering severity. In the manual measurements, women who stutter had a tendency towards rightwards asymmetry but men who stutter showed the same degree of leftwards asymmetry as male Controls. In the automated measurements, Controls showed a significant increase in leftwards asymmetry with age but this relationship was not observed in PWS. Conclusions We conclude that reduced planum temporale asymmetry is not a prominent feature of the brain in PWS and that the asymmetry is unrelated to stuttering severity.

Item Type:	Article
Keywords:	Planum temporale; PWS; Stuttering;
Academic Unit:	Faculty of Science and Engineering > Psychology
Item ID:	11545
Identification Number:	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfludis.2017.06.003
Depositing User:	Patricia Gough
Date Deposited:	30 Oct 2019 16:42
Journal or Publication Title:	Journal of Fluency Disorders
Publisher:	Elsevier (International Fluency Association)
Refereed:	Yes
URI:	Publisher
Use Licence:	This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

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