OBJECTIVE: The neurophysiological and neuroanatomical alterations underlying brain morphology in adult males who stutter remain insufficiently understood. This study aimed to determine whether individuals who stutter exhibit structural differences in frontal brain regions associated with somatosensory and motor systems critical for speech production. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study protocol was approved by the Institutional Review Board of King Saud University (KSU). A total of 54 adult male participants [27 stutterers (ST) and 27 non-stutterers (NST)], aged 18-55 years, were enrolled. A certified speech-language pathologist assessed all participants using the validated Stuttering Severity Instrument-4 (SSI-4). High-resolution T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans (SAG T1 3D MP-RAGE sequence) were acquired using a Siemens Skyra 3.0T scanner at the Department of Medical Imaging, KSU Medical City, Riyadh. RESULTS: Compared to NST participants, individuals in the ST group showed significant volumetric alterations in the left precentral gyrus, right superior frontal gyrus, and right middle frontal gyrus. Additional significant differences were observed in the left middle frontal gyrus, left inferior frontal gyrus pars opercularis, left inferior frontal gyrus pars triangularis, left inferior frontal gyrus, left precuneus, left pole of the superior temporal white matter, and left insular cortex. These regions demonstrated consistent structural differences between ST and NST participants, suggesting a robust association between stuttering and abnormal morphology in frontal and related cortical areas. CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide evidence of structural abnormalities in frontal brain regions implicated in the regulation of somatosensory and motor processes essential for speech production. This supports the hypothesis that stuttering is associated with disrupted neuroanatomical organization in key speech-related cortical networks.

Graphical abstract: https://www.europeanreview.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/Graphical-Abstract-17.jpg.

目标：成人男性口吃患者的脑形态神经生理学和神经解剖学改变尚不完全了解。本研究旨在确定口吃者是否在与言语产生相关的躯体感觉和运动系统相关的大脑前部区域表现出结构差异。

材料与方法：该研究方案已获得沙特国王大学（KSU）机构审查委员会的批准。共招募了54名成年男性参与者，包括27名口吃者（ST组）和27名非口吃者（NST组），年龄在18-55岁之间。所有参与者均由认证的语言病理学家使用经过验证的《口吃严重程度量表第4版》(SSI-4)进行评估。在KSU医疗城的医学影像部门，采用西门子Skyra 3.0T扫描仪获取高分辨率T1加权磁共振成像（MRI）图像（SAG T1 3D MP-RAGE序列）。

结果：与NST组参与者相比，ST组个体在左侧前中央回、右侧上额回和右侧中额回的体积变化显著。此外，在左中额回、左下额回操作部、左下额回三角部、左下额回、左楔小叶、左上颞白质顶点区和左岛盖皮层也观察到显著差异。这些区域显示了ST组与NST组参与者之间的一致结构差异，表明口吃与前部及相关皮层区域异常形态之间存在较强的关联。

结论：本研究结果提供了证据，证明与躯体感觉和运动过程调节相关的脑区结构异常。这支持了口吃与关键言语相关皮质网络神经解剖学组织中断有关的假设。

https://www.europeanreview.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/Graphical-Abstract-17.jpg.