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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Neurol.
Sec. Applied Neuroimaging
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fneur.2025.1483157

Brain Anatomy Differences in Chinese children who stutter: a preliminary study

Provisionally accepted
Dan Ma Dan Ma 1,2Lingling Wang Lingling Wang 1,2Sai Liu Sai Liu 1,3Xin Mao Ma Xin Mao Ma 1,3Feng Lin Jia Feng Lin Jia 1,3Yimin Hua Yimin Hua 1,4Yi Liao Yi Liao 1,3*Hai-bo Qu Hai-bo Qu 1,3*
  • 1 Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
  • 2 Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
  • 3 Department of Radiology, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
  • 4 Department of Pediatrics, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    It is unknown the neural mechanisms of developmental stuttering (DS). The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in the structural morphology of the brain in Chinese children who stutter.A case-control study was conducted to collect magnetic resonance imaging data from stuttering and non-stuttering children, thereby analyzing whole-brain gray matter volume and cortical morphological changes in stuttering children.A total of 108 subjects were recruited (stuttering group: control group = 1:1). Comparing to healthy controls, the gray matter volume was significantly decreased in right temporal gyrus and bilateral cerebellum. Additionally, there was a significant reduction in cortical folds in the right insula and right superior temporal gyrus. Moreover, the gray matter volume of the right cerebellum and right temporal gyrus is related to the severity score of stuttering.The present study proposes that the neural mechanisms underlying DS are intricately linked to the cortico-basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical loop and the dorsal language pathway. This finding is expected to provide reference value for the clinical treatment of DS.

    Keywords: developmental stuttering, gray matter, cortical morphology, Structural magnetic resonance, Chinese children

    Received: 19 Aug 2024; Accepted: 10 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Ma, Wang, Liu, Ma, Jia, Hua, Liao and Qu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Yi Liao, Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, Sichuan Province, China
    Hai-bo Qu, Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, Sichuan Province, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.