Neurocognitive and Psychological Foundations of Fluency Disorders: Stuttering and Cluttering

Fluency disorders, notably stuttering and cluttering, provide a unique window into the psychological and neurocognitive foundations of human language processing. Both disorders reflect disruptions in language production, with stuttering typically presenting as involuntary blocks, prolongations, or repetitions, and cluttering as rapid, irregular, and frequently unclear speech. While research has made significant strides in identifying behavioral characteristics and neurological correlates of these disorders, substantial challenges remain in differentiating them in diverse populations and contexts. Current debates focus on refining definitions, developing objective tools for diagnosis, and unraveling the neural and cognitive mechanisms underlying disrupted fluency. Recent investigations, including those employing experimental and neuroscientific approaches, have started to provide empirical insight into distinctive features and assessment markers, but the field still lacks clearly validated, universally applicable diagnostic frameworks.This Research Topic aims to advance our understanding of the cognitive, neural, and psychological processes underpinning stuttering and cluttering. Our key objectives are to encourage research that empirically investigates the mechanisms of fluency breakdown, to develop and validate objective assessment and diagnostic paradigms, and to clarify how linguistic, neurobiological, and psychological factors interact to produce fluency disorders. We invite contributions that use experimental, computational, behavioral, or neurocognitive methods to explore disfluency and its impact on language processing. Studies that link cognitive theory, empirical measurement, and intervention—particularly those using innovative paradigms or multidisciplinary approaches—will be prioritized.This Research Topic is confined to psychological, psycholinguistic, neurocognitive, and experimental research on stuttering and cluttering; traditional linguistic descriptions alone fall outside the scope.- To gather further insights, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:- Experimental paradigms exploring speech planning and production in fluency disorders- Neural and neurocognitive processes underpinning stuttering and cluttering, including neuroimaging studies- Development and validation of objective, empirically-based assessment tools, and establishment of interdisciplinary consensus guidelines- Computational, AI-based, or quantitative models for differential diagnosis and intervention- The interplay between cognitive processes and fluency within multilingual or special populations- The influence of language acquisition, comprehension, and production contexts on disfluency- Intervention studies grounded in cognitive or psychological theory, with measurable outcomes- Psychosocial and self-monitoring dimensions of fluency disorders when linked to empirical findingsSubmissions should demonstrate methodological and statistical rigor, focusing on psychological and neurocognitive aspects of language, in line with the scope of the Psychology of Language section. Topic editors: Shuta Tomisato, Akira Toyomura, Yoshikazu Kikuchi, Gerald Anthony Maguire Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/83621/neurocognitive-and-psychological-foundations-of-fluency-disorders-stuttering-and-cluttering