The NIDCD award will provide $300,000 over the next three years
to fund the project, titled “Auditory masking effects on speech
fluency in aphasia and apraxia of speech.” In many adults who
survive stroke, damage to speech regions of the brain results in
a distorted, effortful, and halting pattern of speech, a
condition called apraxia of speech. Although they know what they
want to say and have intact muscle strength, they have
difficulty programming the movements for speech. They are able
to hear their speech errors, and the typical treatment program
focuses on identifying these errors and correcting them. For
most people, focusing on these mistakes results in little
improvement in their speech. In contrast to conventional
treatment approaches, Dr. Jacks and his colleagues (Katarina
Haley, PhD, DAHS, DSHS; Heidi Roth, MD, Department of Neurology)
are studying the effects of preventing the person with apraxia
of speech from hearing the errors in their speech, by playing
loud noise through earphones. This appr