An interventional study of Adaptation and Adaptation baseline 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 2026-02-19.
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. 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.
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.
205 studies on the registry are indexed under Speech; 80 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 120 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.
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Exclusion Criteria:
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 · Device: Motor evoked potentials
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 · Device: Auditory evoked potentials
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 · Device: Somatosensory evoked potentials
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.
Behavioral: Adaptation baseline · Device: Motor evoked potentials
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.
Behavioral: Adaptation baseline · Device: Auditory evoked potentials
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.
Behavioral: Adaptation baseline · Device: Somatosensory evoked potentials
Auditory adaptation in speech
Auditory baseline in speech
motor evoked potentials will be obtained in each recording block
auditory evoked potentials will be obtained in each recording block
Somatosensry evoked potentials will be obtained in each recording block
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)
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
Time frame: 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).
Time frame: 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).
Time frame: Performance as measured at the end of learning (30 minute session)
Plan to share: No
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