Insights Into the Neurobiology of Stuttering From 2025 STARS Conference: Shahriar SheikhBahaei, PhD

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"Dopamine has, classically, been shown to be important for modulation of all the motor functions, and speech is one of them. When we say motor function, [it’s] because muscles have to move, and that would be a motor behavior. Dopamine also has a role in learning as well, and we know human speech is learned. So classically, dopamine has been thought to be important for speech, too."

The inaugural STARS (Stuttering Treatment and Research Society) Research and Education Conference, held on September 14, 2025, in Laguna Niguel, California, brought together clinicians, researchers, and members of the stuttering community for a full day of education and discussion. The program featured a series of didactic presentations, a moderated expert panel, and a moderated consumer panel that highlighted the significant unmet healthcare needs faced by people who stutter. During the event, speakers described the multifaceted symptoms of stuttering and its frequent co-occurring conditions, summarized current comprehensive diagnostic and therapeutic strategies, and defined the neurobiological underpinnings of the disorder.

Presenters also addressed the various subtypes of stuttering, offering insights into how these differences can guide individualized treatment approaches. Through these sessions, the conference provided a thorough exploration of the latest scientific understanding of stuttering while emphasizing the importance of patient-centered care and continued research to close gaps in diagnosis and treatment. To learn more about the conference’s focus on the biological and clinical complexities of stuttering, our sister publication Psychiatric Times spoke with Shahriar SheikhBahaei, PhD, assistant professor of neurobiology and behavior at SUNY Stony Brook University.

In the interview, SheikhBahaei highlighted the evolving understanding of stuttering’s neurobiology, drawing on his presentation from the conference. He explained that speech is a highly intricate motor behavior that requires the coordination of over 100 muscles and multiple brain circuits. He noted that recent advances using animal models have revealed the roles of inhibitory and excitatory pathways, and that research has also pointed to dopamine’s involvement in motor modulation as well as speech learning. Moreover, SheikhBahaei emphasized the importance of respiratory circuits, noting that disrupted coordination between respiratory and motor systems may contribute to stuttering.

Click here to view more coverage of STARS 2025.

REFERENCES
1. SheikhBahaei S. A Neurobiologic Understanding of Stuttering. Presented at STARS Inaugural Education and Research Conference; September 13, 2025; Laguna Niguel, California.