An interventional study of continuous theta-burst stimulation (cTBS) and Adaptation in Speech, sponsored by Yale University. Recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 40 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-08-18.
Sponsored by Yale University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Basic science
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.
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.
205 studies on the registry are indexed under Speech; 80 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 330 is above the median of 52 across 141 interventional studies indexed under Speech.
Browse Speech studies →Yale University is the lead sponsor of 1,770 studies on the registry; 294 are open to participants now.
Of its 221 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 129 (58%) have results posted.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
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Exclusion Criteria:
Aim 1: Participants will perform learning tasks while receiving altered/unaltered auditory feedback with cTBS applied to the appropriate area of the brain following learning. Retention of learning is assessed 24 hours later.
Device: continuous theta-burst stimulation (cTBS) · Behavioral: Adaptation
Aim 2: Participants will perform learning tasks combined with shifted auditory feedback. Motor cortical excitability will be measured using single-pulse TMS to elicit motor evoked potentials.
Behavioral: Adaptation · Device: Single pulse Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)
Aim 3: Participants will have fMRI with behavioral measures of speech motor learning.
Behavioral: Adaptation · Device: fMRI
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.
Auditory adaptation in speech
TMS will be delivered 10 times in each motor evoked potentials (MEP) recording block.
To assess functional connectivity patterns between regions that predict learning.
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.
Time frame: 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.
Time frame: 24 hours after learning (re-test lasts 30 minutes)
Plan to share: No
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
Started Oct 2024 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Nov 2028, 49 months after the start.
Of 85 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Speech, half reached primary completion within 45 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 14 and three quarters within 65. This study's planned 49 months is close to that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 90 studies reached it within 45 months; a quarter within 15 and three quarters within 65.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
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