# Aging-related Changes in the Neural Mechanisms Underlying Speech Motor Learning

> **NIH NIH F99** · UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · 2024 · $49,298

## Abstract

SUMMARY
Aging is associated with a decline in the neural substrates and sensorimotor processes subserving speech
motor control. In addition, aging-related neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease may lead to
severe motor speech impairments. Prior efforts to incorporate known principles of motor learning into motor
speech treatment programs are impeded by the lack of empirical data on how the aging process affects
different forms of speech motor learning at both the behavioral and neural level. In my predoctoral work at the
University of Washington (F99 phase), my dissertation focuses on two distinct forms of speech motor learning:
auditory-motor adaptation and syllable sequence learning. No previous studies have directly compared the
neural bases of these forms of motor learning or investigated how they are affected by aging. The central
hypothesis of this project is that speech adaptation and syllable sequence learning rely largely on distinct
cortical-subcortical networks and, therefore, are differentially affected by the aging process. In Aim 1.1, I
investigate the subcortical contributions to both forms of motor learning by comparing individuals with
Parkinson’s disease who have DBS electrodes implanted in the subthalamic nucleus (STN) in the cortico-basal
ganglia circuit, individuals with essential tremor who have DBS electrodes implanted in the ventrolateral
nucleus of the thalamus (Vim) in the cortico-cerebellar circuit, and age-matched control participants. Analyses
are based on both behavioral data from DBS ON/OFF conditions and neural data from a subgroup of patients
whose DBS device allows sensing from the implanted nuclei. In Aim 1.2, I directly study the effects of aging
itself on speech motor learning by using EEG to compare cortical neural activity associated with speech
auditory-motor adaptation and syllable sequence learning in healthy older adults versus healthy younger
adults. In the postdoctoral phase at the University of California San Franciso (K00 phase), I will then further
expand my expertise and skills in aging research as applied to speech neuroscience. In Aim 2, I will focus on
multimodal neuroimaging and computational modeling to investigate how sensorimotor neuronal networks in
the aging brain support different forms of speech motor learning through functional reorganization, and how
such reorganization can be accounted for in computational models of speech motor control. This program of
training and research will prepare me for a productive career in aging research and speech neuroscience.
Findings from the series of studies will advance our understanding of aging-related changes in the speech
sensorimotor system and inform the development of effective behavioral and neuromodulation treatments for
aging-related motor speech disorders.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10972763
- **Project number:** 1F99AG088438-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
- **Principal Investigator:** Hantao Wang
- **Activity code:** F99 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $49,298
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-09-16 → 2025-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10972763

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10972763, Aging-related Changes in the Neural Mechanisms Underlying Speech Motor Learning (1F99AG088438-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10972763. Licensed CC0.

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