Mechanism Behind Stuttering Revealed (p 380)
Stuttering is caused by a structural abnormality in the left hemisphere of the brain, according to an article in this week's LANCET. Dr Martin Sommer and colleagues from the Universities of Hamburg and Göttingen in Germany report that persistent developmental stuttering results from a disconnection of speech-related areas in the cortex. Persistent developmental stuttering affects 1% of people beyond puberty and has a genetic basis, but despite decades of research, the origin and structural basis of the disorder are unknown. The German group used a magnetic resonance imaging technique to assess brain tissue structure in 15 people with stuttering and a control group of 15 people with normal s