Otolith Function and Its Association with Stuttering

Abstract

This study aimed to compare, cervical and ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (cVEMP and oVEMP) among individuals with developmental stuttering, misarticulation, and neurotypical individuals. The sample comprised 49 participants aged 6 to 39 years, divided into developmental stuttering (n=17), misarticulation (n=15), and neurotypical (n=17) groups. Participants with stuttering further underwent post-therapy VEMP evaluations, after receiving eight sessions of stuttering therapy. The study found significant differences in VEMP responses among the groups, with significant differences observed in stuttering group than the other two on pair-wise comparison (p<0.016), highlighting potential vestibular involvement in developmental stuttering. These findings support the Disruptive Rhythm Hypothesis, which posits that synchronized sensory inputs can enhance speech fluency and bone-conducted vestibular stimulation plays an important role in the stuttering behaviour. This research underscores the importance of multidisciplinary approaches in managing stuttering and offers new insights into the vestibular contributions to speech fluency disorders. Further studies with larger samples and longitudinal designs are recommended to validate these findings.