Timing variability of sensorimotor integration during vocalization in individuals who stutter

Persistent developmental stuttering affects close to 1% of adults and is thought to be a problem of sensorimotor integration. Previous research has demonstrated that individuals who stutter respond differently to changes in their auditory feedback while speaking. Here we explore a number of changes that accompany alterations in the feedback of pitch during vocal production. Participants sustained the vowel /a/ while hearing on-line feedback of their own voice through headphones. In some trials, feedback was briefly shifted up or down by 100 cents to simulate a vocal production error. As previously shown, participants compensated for the auditory pitch change by altering their vocal production in the opposite direction of the shift. The average compensatory response was smaller for adults who stuttered than for adult controls. Detailed analyses revealed that adults who stuttered had fewer trials with a robust corrective response, and that within the trials showing compensation, the timing of their responses was more variable. These results support the idea that dysfunctional sensorimotor integration in stuttering is characterized by timing variability, reflecting reduced coupling of the auditory and speech motor systems.