NCT06467292

Speech Motor Learning and Retention (Master Protocol)

Sensorimotor Basis of Speech Motor Learning and Retention

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 330 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Yale University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 40 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The overall goal of this research is to test a new model of speech motor learning, whose central hypothesis is that learning and retention are associated with plasticity not only in motor areas of the brain but in auditory and somatosensory regions as well.

Detailed description

Aim 1 involves tests of speech motor memory retention following disruption of left hemisphere brain activity in either auditory, somatosensory or motor cortex or to a control site (hand area motor cortex right hemisphere). Continuous theta-burst stimulation (cTBS) is delivered following adaptation to altered auditory feedback to assess its effects on the retention of new learning. Aim 2 assesses the temporal order in which plasticity occurs in cortical motor and sensory brain areas during speech motor learning. In Aim 3, resting-state fMRI will be interleaved with speech motor adaptation. For information specific to each aim, please refer to the below corresponding, separate, clinicaltrials.gov records: unique IDs: 2000037622\_a for Aim 1, 2000037622\_b for Aim 2 and 2000037622\_c for Aim 3.

Conditions

• Speech

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DEVICE	continuous theta-burst stimulation (cTBS)	cTBS stimulation will be applied to different areas of the brain following learning. Stimulation will take place following learning in order to block motor memory retention.
BEHAVIORAL	Adaptation	Auditory adaptation in speech
DEVICE	Single pulse Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)	TMS will be delivered 10 times in each motor evoked potentials (MEP) recording block.
DEVICE	fMRI	To assess functional connectivity patterns between regions that predict learning.

Timeline

• Start date: 2024-10-01
• Primary completion: 2028-11-30
• Completion: 2029-05-31
• First posted: 2024-06-21
• Last updated: 2026-02-19

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States

Regulatory

• FDA-regulated device study