Speech Motor Learning and Retention Study

This study is looking at how the brain learns and remembers speech movements. Researchers are using different methods to understand this process. They will use continuous theta-burst stimulation (cTBS), a device that applies magnetic pulses to the brain, to see if it affects how well you remember new speech patterns. They will also use single pulse Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), another device that uses magnetic pulses, and fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging), a type of brain scan, to look at brain activity. The study aims to understand how different parts of the brain, including those for hearing and touch, are involved in learning to speak. To join, you need to be a right-handed, fluent English speaker between 18 and 40 years old, with normal hearing and no speech or reading disorders. You cannot have certain metal implants or medical devices. The study will measure how well you learn new speech patterns during a 30-minute session and how well you remember them 24 hours later. The current status of this study is unclear.

Study design
This is an interventional study planning to enroll 330 participants. It will test how different brain stimulation techniques affect speech learning and retention.
What's involved
You would participate in learning sessions lasting 30 minutes, followed by brain stimulation. You would also have a re-test session 24 hours later, which also lasts 30 minutes.
Compensation
Not stated in the trial record.
Follow-up
Your learning retention will be measured 24 hours after the initial learning session.

AI-generated from the public study record. Only the study team can confirm whether you're eligible — confirm details with them before making decisions.

NCT06467292

Speech Motor Learning and Retention (Master Protocol)

Recruiting
NAAges 18–40InterventionalBasic science
Yale University
~330 participants
Updated 2026-08-18 on ClinicalTrials.gov
What's tested:continuous theta-burst stimulation (cTBS)AdaptationSingle pulse Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)fMRI

At a glance

Recruiting sites
1 of 1 listed site is recruiting right now
RecruitingSuspended, closed, or not yet open
What they're measuring
Speech motor learning
Measured over Performance as measured at the end of learning (30 minute session)
+1 more outcome measured
Speech

NCT06467292

Where you'd take part

This study runs at 1 site. They're the same protocol — you choose where, and that choice sets who your contact draft is addressed to.

  • Yale Child Study Center

    New Haven, Connecticutno site contact published

    Recruiting

Sites open and close at different times, so the status above is per site — it can differ from the study's overall status.

  • David Ostry · PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR · Yale University

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Eligibility criteria

Inclusion

Fluent English speakers
Right-handed
Normal hearing
No speech disorder or reading disability

Exclusion

Cardiac pacemaker
Aneurysm clip
Heart or Vascular clip
Prosthetic valve
Metal implants
Metal in brain, skull, or spinal cord
Implanted neurostimulator
Medication infusion device
Cochlear implant or tinnitus (ringing in ears)
Personal and/or family history of epilepsy or other neurological disorders or history of head concussion
Psychoactive medications
Pregnancy
  • Speech motor learningPerformance as measured at the end of learning (30 minute session)

    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.

  • Retention of learning24 hours after learning (re-test lasts 30 minutes)

    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.