Bolognesi, Noah (2025) The role of dopaminergic signalling in speech disruptions in Parkinson’s Disease, Stuttering, and Autism. Bachelor's Thesis, Biology.
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Abstract
Speech, a uniquely human ability essential for communication and social identity, relies on a complex neural network including Broca’s area, the motor cortex, and the basal ganglia. Dopamine modulates these circuits, influencing motor planning, auditory feedback, reinforcement learning, and timing. Disruptions in dopaminergic signaling contribute to speech disorders. In Parkinson’s disease, degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra impairs coordination, resulting in soft, monotone, poorly modulated speech. In stuttering, elevated dopaminergic activity in the basal ganglia interferes with speech motor program selection, leading to repetitions, blocks, and prolongations. Autism spectrum disorder features diverse, often early speech difficulties linked to altered frontostriatal connectivity and reduced sensitivity to the social reward value of speech, likely from mesolimbic dopamine dysfunction. While human neuroimaging provides correlational insights, animal models like songbirds offer causal evidence on dopamine’s role in vocal learning. Integrating cross-species findings, this thesis highlights dopamine’s importance in speech regulation.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Bachelor's Thesis) |
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| Supervisor name: | Moorman, S. |
| Degree programme: | Biology |
| Thesis type: | Bachelor's Thesis |
| Language: | English |
| Date Deposited: | 11 Jul 2025 14:20 |
| Last Modified: | 11 Jul 2025 14:20 |
| URI: | https://fse.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/36109 |
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