Speech Motor Learning and Retention (Aim 2)

Sensorimotor Basis of Speech Motor Learning and Retention

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. The strategy for the proposed research is to identify individual brain areas that contribute causally to retention by disrupting their activity with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Investigators will also use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) which will enable identification of circuit-level activity which predicts either learning or retention of new movements, and hence test the specific contributions of candidate sensory and motor zones. In other studies, investigators will record sensory and motor evoked potentials over the course of learning to determine the temporal order in which individual sensory and cortical motor regions contribute. The goal here is to identify brain areas in which learning-related plasticity occurs first and which among these areas predict subsequent learning.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Speech
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Adaptation; Device: Motor evoked potentials; Device: Auditory evoked potentials; Device: Somatosensory evoked potentials; Behavioral: Adaptation baseline

Detailed Description

The focus of this registration is Aim 2. Specific Aim 2 assesses the temporal order in which plasticity occurs in cortical motor and sensory brain areas during speech motor learning. Plasticity is assessed using measures of cortical excitability. Specifically, auditory, somatosensory and motor evoked potentials are elicited using single pulse TMS (motor), pure tone bursts (auditory), and mentalis nerve stimulation (somatosensory). Tests of cortical excitability are interleaved with trials involving speech motor adaptation. Cortical excitability is also measured using these same measures 24 hours after learning to assess retention.

The Speech Motor Learning and Retention Master Protocol is NCT06467292.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 120
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: David Ostry; Phone Number: 2038656163; Email: david.ostry@yale.edu

Study Locations

• United States
  • Connecticut
    • New Haven, Connecticut, United States, 06520
      • Recruiting
      • Yale Child Study Center

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Fluent English speakers
• Right-handed
• Normal hearing
• No speech disorder or reading disability

Exclusion Criteria:

• Cardiac pacemaker
• Aneurysm clip
• Heart or Vascular clip
• Prosthetic valve
• Metal implants
• Metal in brain, skull, or spinal cord
• Implanted neurostimulator
• Medication infusion device
• Cochlear implant or tinnitus (ringing in ears)
• Personal and/or family history of epilepsy or other neurological disorders or history of head concussion
• Psychoactive medications
• Pregnancy

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

6

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: MEPs (M1) / altered auditory feedback / MEPs + retention tests at 24h; Evoked potentials will be recorded from brain area M1 (motor cortex) in combination with a speech motor learning procedure known as adaptation to altered auditory feedback. Retention of learning will be tested 24h later along with additional evoked potential recordings.	Behavioral: Adaptation; Auditory adaptation in speech; Device: Motor evoked potentials; motor evoked potentials will be obtained in each recording block
Experimental: AEPs (A1) / altered auditory feedback / AEPs + retention tests at 24h; Evoked potentials will be recorded from brain area A1 (auditory cortex) in combination with a speech motor learning procedure known as adaptation to altered auditory feedback. Retention of learning will be tested 24h later along with additional evoked potential recordings.	Behavioral: Adaptation; Auditory adaptation in speech; Device: Auditory evoked potentials; auditory evoked potentials will be obtained in each recording block
Experimental: SEPs (S1) / altered auditory feedback / SEPs + retention tests at 24h; Evoked potentials will be recorded from brain area S1 (somatosensory cortex) in combination with a speech motor learning procedure known as adaptation to altered auditory feedback. Retention of learning will be tested 24h later along with additional evoked potential recordings.	Behavioral: Adaptation; Auditory adaptation in speech; Device: Somatosensory evoked potentials; Somatosensry evoked potentials will be obtained in each recording block
Experimental: MEPs (M1) / unaltered auditory feedback / MEPs + retention tests at 24h; Evoked potentials will be recorded from brain area M1 (motor cortex) in combination with unaltered auditory feedback. Retention of learning will be tested 24h later along with additional evoked potential recordings.	Device: Motor evoked potentials; motor evoked potentials will be obtained in each recording block; Behavioral: Adaptation baseline; Auditory baseline in speech
Experimental: AEPs (A1) / unaltered auditory feedback / AEPs + retention tests at 24h; Evoked potentials will be recorded from brain area A1 (auditory cortex) in combination with unaltered auditory feedback. Retention of learning will be tested 24h later along with additional evoked potential recordings.	Device: Auditory evoked potentials; auditory evoked potentials will be obtained in each recording block; Behavioral: Adaptation baseline; Auditory baseline in speech
Experimental: SEPs (S1) / unaltered auditory feedback / SEPs + retention tests at 24h; Evoked potentials will be recorded from brain area S1 (somatosensory cortex) in combination with unaltered auditory feedback. Retention of learning will be tested 24h later along with additional evoked potential recordings.	Device: Somatosensory evoked potentials; Somatosensry evoked potentials will be obtained in each recording block; Behavioral: Adaptation baseline; Auditory baseline in speech

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Speech motor learning	Audapter software will be used to alter the first and second formant frequencies of the spoken words and this is played back to subjects through headphones. Subjects will be tested both with unaltered feedback and with abruptly introduced frequency shifts.The change in the first (F1) and second format frequency (F2) values will be assessed using Praat.	Performance as measured at the end of learning (30 minute session)
Retention of learning	The retention of adaptation to altered auditory feedback (and relearning) will be quantified in terms of F1 and F2 frequency shifts (relative to pre-training baseline). Larger values indicate more complete relearning or retention.	24 hours after learning (re-test lasts 30 minutes)
Motor evoked potentials (MEPs)	Motor evoked potentials (MEPs) using single-pulse TMS will be recorded using surface electromyography (EMG) to measure MEP peak-to-peak response	Performance as measured at the end of learning (30 minute session)
Somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs)	Electrical stimulation will be used to elicit somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs). SEPs will be recorded using electroencephalogram (EEG) to measure the SEP response in the interval 20 to 25 ms following stimulation (N20-P25 response).	Performance as measured at the end of learning (30 minute session)
Auditory evoked potentials (AEPs)	Acoustical stimulation will be used to elicit auditory evoked potentials (AEPs). AEPs will be recorded using electroencephalogram (EEG) to measure the AEP response in the interval between the first positive peak and first negative peak following stimulation (P1-N1 response).	Performance as measured at the end of learning (30 minute session)

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Yale University
• Collaborators: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: David Ostry, Yale University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): October 1, 2024
• Primary Completion (Estimated): November 30, 2028
• Study Completion (Estimated): May 31, 2029

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 18, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 3, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): July 9, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): February 19, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 17, 2026
• Last Verified: February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Retention; Speech Motor Learning
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavior; Communication; Verbal Behavior; Speech; Physiological Phenomena; Biological Phenomena; Adaptation, Physiological; Adaptation, Biological; Acclimatization
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2000037622_b; 1R01DC022097-01A1 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract: NIH)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: Yes
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No