Temporal processing and long-latency auditory evoked potential in stutterers

AbstractIntroductionStuttering is a speech fluency disorder, and may be associated with neuroaudiological factors linked to central auditory processing, including changes in auditory processing skills and temporal resolution.ObjectiveTo characterize the temporal processing and long-latency auditory evoked potential in stutterers and to compare them with non-stutterers.MethodsThe study included 41 right-handed subjects, aged 18–46 years, divided into two groups: stutterers (n=20) and non-stutters (n=21), compared according to age, education, and sex. All subjects were submitted to the duration pattern tests, random gap detection test, and long-latency auditory evoked potential.ResultsIndividuals who stutter showed poorer performance on Duration Pattern and Random Gap Detection tests when compared with fluent individuals. In the long-latency auditory evoked potential, there was a difference in the latency of N2 and P3 components; stutterers had higher latency values.ConclusionsStutterers have poor performance in temporal processing and higher latency values for N2 and P3 components