Stuttering and compulsive manipulation of tools after hemorrhage in the anterior corpus callosum and cingulate gyrus: a case study

Purpose: This report describes a female patient with acquired stuttering and compulsive manipulation of tools after hemorrhage in the cingulate gyrus and anterior corpus callosum. To investigate the relation between callosal stuttering and lesions of the corpus callosum, analysis of earlier studies was performed along with analysis of this patient's stuttering. Methods: The patient received speech therapy over a 7-week period and tests of speech fluency were undertaken at 91 and 128 days after lesions developed. Results: Speech sample analysis revealed the following: (1) stuttering frequency during the first test was lower than during the second test, (2) during the first test, blocks and simultaneous struggle were observed. However, blocks were absent during the second test, (3) stuttering adaptation effects were 0% during the first and second tests. Stuttering and accessory symptoms such as closing of the eyes and neck muscle tension persisted after compulsive manipulation of tools had ceased. Conclusions: The relationship between onset of acquired stuttering and the lesion's location in the corpus callosum is unclear. Features of stuttering and accessory symptoms were observed to be similar to past reports of psychogenic stuttering. The present patient appeared to present with a combination of neurogenic and psychogenic stuttering, similar to the case presented by our previous study.