Esfandeh Kowsar, Khatoonabadi Ahmad Reza, Karimi Hamid, Nitsche Michael, Ebadi Abbas
Department of Speech Therapy, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Department of Speech Therapy, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran.
Contemp Clin Trials Commun. 2025 Aug 7;47:101534. doi: 10.1016/j.conctc.2025.101534. eCollection 2025 Oct.
Stuttering is a condition that usually begins in childhood and may continue into adulthood. In this study, it is suggested that the combined approach of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) with fluency shaping techniques will result in greater improvements in speech fluency compared to using fluency shaping techniques alone.
This study is designed as a randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled clinical trial. All participants will participate in speech therapy sessions. The intervention group will receive anodal transcranial direct current stimulation, while the control group will experience sham stimulation. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of these groups. Before starting the treatment program, a preintervention assessment will be conducted to determine the severity of stuttering. Once these assessments are completed, each participant will take part in intervention sessions. Post-intervention evaluations will take place immediately after and six weeks after the final intervention session. Additionally, to evaluate the long-term stability of the treatment results, follow-up evaluations will be carried out three months post-treatment. The primary outcome measure-the ratio of stuttered syllables-will be evaluated during pre-, post-, and follow-up assessments; secondary outcomes will encompass scores from the Overall Assessment of the Speaker's Experience of Stuttering, severity ratings, and evaluations of speech naturalness.
The results of this study will provide evidence regarding the effectiveness of combining tDCS with fluency shaping intervention on stuttering. This effect is likely to involve not only a reduction in SS% but also improvements in the overall quality of life for adults who stutter.
IRCT20230907059369N1.
口吃是一种通常始于童年且可能持续至成年的病症。本研究表明，与单独使用流畅性塑造技术相比，经颅直流电刺激（tDCS）与流畅性塑造技术相结合的方法将在言语流畅性方面带来更大改善。
本研究设计为一项随机、双盲、假刺激对照的临床试验。所有参与者都将参加言语治疗课程。干预组将接受阳极经颅直流电刺激，而对照组将接受假刺激。参与者将被随机分配到其中一组。在开始治疗方案之前，将进行干预前评估以确定口吃的严重程度。一旦这些评估完成，每位参与者将参加干预课程。干预后评估将在最后一次干预课程结束后立即进行，并在六周后进行。此外，为了评估治疗结果的长期稳定性，将在治疗后三个月进行随访评估。主要结局指标——口吃音节的比例——将在干预前、干预后和随访评估期间进行评估；次要结局将包括口吃者总体体验评估的得分、严重程度评级以及言语自然度评估。
本研究结果将为tDCS与流畅性塑造干预相结合对口吃的有效性提供证据。这种效果可能不仅包括口吃音节百分比（SS%）的降低，还包括对口吃成年人总体生活质量的改善。
IRCT20230907059369N1。
