Estimates suggest that 70 million people worldwide suffer from the speech impediment known as stuttering - that's around one in every hundred people on the planet. For centuries, the condition has baffled physicians and researchers, who could find no direct cause-and-effect scenario for the malady.
In recent years, however, scientists have made some progress in identifying measurable neurological phenomena related to stuttering. The condition appears to relate to blood flow in certain parts of the brain, in particular a region called the Broca's area, which is associated with speech formation. Stutterers were found to have less blood flow to this region, which in turn leads to fewer neurons firing. Jules Suzdaltsev has the details in today's DNews report.
Seeker: A Root Cause of Stuttering Is Being Pinpointed in the Brain
Human Brain Mapping: Reduced Perfusion in Broca's Area in Developmental Stuttering
Science Daily: Stuttering linked to reduced blood flow in area of brain associated with language