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Speech Neurophysiology Lab presents at Society for the Neurobiology of Language conference
Speech Neurophysiology Lab presents at Society for the Neurobiology of Language conference
October 8, 2026
Many members of the Speech Neurophysiology Lab presented their work at this year's Society for the Neurobiology of Language conference. The meeting was held in Geneva, Switzerland from September 30 to October 2, 2026.
The lab shared work spanning childhood brain development and connectivity, imaging-genetics, organization of speech-related motor systems, and auditory–motor integration—including whether targeted stimulation can help researchers better understand these processes. They approached developmental stuttering at three complementary levels: neurocomputational theory, person-specific brain-network organization, and the relationship between genetic variation and neuroanatomy.
They also took beautiful photos of their time spent at the conference and exploring the city! (left)
Keep reading to learn about their poster presentation sessions.
Poster Presentation Sessions
Poster Presentation Sessions
“Atypical Coupling between Speech and Association Networks in Childhood Stuttering” by Jaeeun Kim, Yanni Liu, Mike Angstadt, and Soo-Eun Chang
“Delta HD-tACS modulates auditory-motor integration in adults who stutter” by Emily Garnett, Yanni Liu, Hasini Weerathunge, Yuan Tan, and Soo-Eun Chang
This study examines how phase-specific stimulation may affect auditory–motor processing. Preliminary results are promising, with speech-fluency and EEG analyses ongoing.
“Altered precentral inter-effector area morphometry and functional connectivity in children who stutter” by Ci-Jun Gao, Yanni Liu, Emily O. Garnett, and Soo-Eun Chang
“A ‘Basin of Attraction’ Theory of Stuttering” by Frank Guenther, Soo-Eun Chang, and Jonathan Cannon
This new neurocomputational framework proposes that fluent production requires the speech network to enter the appropriate “basin of attraction,” allowing a word’s motor trajectory to unfold automatically. Stuttering may arise when the cortico–basal ganglia–thalamo–cortical circuit does not reliably coordinate the preparatory state needed to initiate that trajectory.
“Neuroanatomical Differences Associated with Lysosomal Variants in Children Who Stutter (CWS)” by Yookyung Kim, Ho Ming Chow, Margit Burmeister, Jim Delproposto, and Soo-Eun Chang
This ongoing imaging-genetics study combines whole-exome sequencing with structural, diffusion, and functional MRI to investigate how rare variants in lysosomal-pathway genes may relate to differences in brain systems supporting speech timing and sensorimotor integration.
“Mapping Altered Coordination of Speech Motor Subnetworks in Children Who Stutter” by Yanni Liu, Adriene Beltz, Mike Angstadt, and Soo-Eun Chang
Using person-specific connectivity modeling, this work examines how cortical articulatory, auditory–motor, and subcortical timing networks are coordinated in individual children. The findings suggest that childhood stuttering may involve altered communication among these systems more than disruption within any single network.
Together, these projects illustrate the multilevel approach the lab is pursuing in research—from genes and developing brain networks to computational explanations of how fluent speech is initiated.
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