Evaluation of Autonomic Nervous System Function with Tilt Table Testing in Young Adults with Persistent Developmental Stuttering

Objective: Autonomic nervous system plays a key role on motor speech and its regulation. An imbalance has been suggested to exist between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems in developmental stuttering. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the results of tilt table (TT) testing in young adults with persistent developmental stuttering. Method: Twenty-seven patients with persistent development stuttering and 22 age-matched healthy controls were examined. Patients were examined by the speech-language specialist using the Stuttering Severity Instrument. Afterwards, their autonomic nervous system function was examined by using the TT test. Results: In the stutterers, the mean onset of stuttering was 7.44 +/- 3.75 years (range of 3 to 17 years). Eighteen stutterers (66.7%) showed a positive TT response, whereas 2 normal speakers (9.1%) had a positive TT response (p<0.01). Although mean pulses, systolic and diastolic blood pressures at the rest did not differ significantly between the two groups, stutterers had lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure values than those of normal controls (p=0.001 and p=0.003 respectively) at the end of TT testing. Discussion: We conclude that a positive TT response is observed more often in the stutterers. The findings of the present study support the results of our previous report indicating that the stutterers have an autonomic nervous system dysregulation.