Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: This paper presents an interpretation of stuttering behavior, based on the principles of the active inference framework. Stuttering is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by speech disfluencies such as repetitions, prolongations, and blocks. The principles of active inference, a theory of predictive processing and sentient behavior, can be used to conceptualize stuttering as a disruption in perception-action cycling underlying speech production. The theory proposed here posits that stuttering arises from aberrant sensory precision and prediction error dynamics, inhibiting syllable initiation. Relevant to this theory, two hypothesized mechanisms are proposed: (1) a mistiming in precision dynamics, and (2) excessive attentional focus. Both highlight the role of neural oscillations, prediction error, and hierarchical integration in speech production. This framework also explains the contextual variability of stuttering behaviors, including adaptation effects and fluency-inducing conditions. Reframing stuttering as a synaptopathy integrates neurobiological, psychological, and behavioral dimensions, suggesting disruptions in precision-weighting mediated by neuromodulatory systems. This active inference perspective provides a unified account of stuttering and sets the stage for innovative research and therapeutic approaches.
Source: Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
Author: Evan Usler
Institution: University of Delaware
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,801
Award: G7961889514
OpenAlex ID: W4409114102