Stuttering cure drug may be near
Published: September 15, 2006
Research by a University of California psychiatrist may lead to the development of a drug to cure stuttering which afflicts about 3 million U.S. residents.
Dr. Gerald Maguire of the UC-Irvine, who stuttered as a child, is helping Indevus Pharmaceuticals in the effort. The company says it has had encouraging results from the largest clinical trial of a drug for stuttering.
Larger trials are needed, which could take two or three years, but success in those trials could make Pagoclone the first medical treatment for the problem, reports The New York Times.
Research is focusing on the notion that stuttering is a neurological problem with genetic implications. It previously was thought to be a nervous or emotional condition.
The report says much remains to be learned about the causes of stuttering and how to treat it. At the same time, many overcome stuttering in time or through therapy.
A University of Toronto researcher says for those who don`t stutter, speech processing is largely handled in the brain`s left hemisphere. For those who do, there is an unusually large amount of activity in the brain`s right hemisphere.
Maguire said studies he and others have done suggest there is an excess of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the brains of those who stutter.
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