Visualization of speech intelligibility for the purpose of speech training for the deaf and hard of hearing

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K10741
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 59010:Rehabilitation science-related
• Research Institution: Tsukuba University of Technology
• Principal Investigator: Yasu Keiichi 筑波技術大学, 産業技術学部, 講師 (70407352)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 灰谷 知純 国立障害者リハビリテーションセンター(研究所), 研究所 感覚機能系障害研究部, 流動研究員 (90804500)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 吃音 / 白質 / MRI / 接続性 / デフォルトモードネットワーク

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this study, we collected MRI images from over 130 adults with stuttering. Due to the constraints imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, participant recruitment and experiments were challenging, resulting in a shortfall in the number of control group participants. Results regarding the connectivity of white matter in the brain obtained from resting-state functional MRI were presented at an international conference. Although initial plans involved comparing pre- and post-treatment data, the diversity of treatment types led us to focus on comparisons with the control group instead. Analyses of white matter tractography suggested structural alterations in specific brain regions in individuals with stuttering. In the final year, we conducted data collection from the control group and established an analysis environment, including preliminary analyses using publicly available datasets.

Free Research Field

吃音・流暢性障害　神経科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

吃音に関するMRI研究により，脳の画像データを収集した．研究結果は国際会議で報告され、特定の脳部位で吃音者の白質の構造変化が示唆された。この研究は吃音の病態理解に貢献し，将来的に吃音の臨床の指標となる可能性が示唆された．。また，研究実施や一般手法によるデータ共有化に向けた取り組みが行われた．これらの成果は社会や医療現場において，吃音の理解や臨床研究の向上に寄与することが期待される．