Basic Research

The Foundation is turning its attention more and more to various facets of basic research.

Brain Research
Neuroimaging studies have greatly enhanced the potential to understand brain-behavior relationships in complex behaviors such as speech and language. A recent study by Dr. Anne Foundas, M.D., Department of Psychiatry and Neurology, Tulane University, revealed the first evidence that anatomic anomalies may put an individual at risk for the development of stuttering. Research efforts are expanding which should provide information to develop targeted behavioral and pharmacological interventions, and may lead to earlier detection of individuals at risk for developmental stuttering, according to Dr. Foundas. The Foundation is promoting this research in various ways.

Genetic Research
Finding the genes involved in stuttering and understanding what they do in people who stutter and in those who are normally fluent holds the promise of revealing some of the underlying causes of stuttering. From this, researchers hope to be able to develop better therapies for those who stutter. The Foundation is actively involved in a project directed by Dr. Dennis Drayna of the National Institute on Deafness and other Communicative Disorders searching for genetic markers associated with stuttering. “Knowing the location of these genes is the first step toward finding the genes themselves which could provide major new insights into the causes of stuttering,” Drayna says.