Neurogenic stuttering in corticobasal ganglionic degeneration: A case report

Corticobasal ganglionic degeneration (CBGD) is a progressive neurological disorder characterized by gradual nerve cell loss and atrophy of the cerebral cortex and basal ganglia. Symptoms of the disorder include verbal apraxia and language disturbances along with bradykinesia and rigidity. There have been no reports to date of acquired or neurogenic stuttering associated with CBGD. We describe a patient whose initial symptom of CBGD was stuttering which worsened as her disease progressed. Neuroimaging including PET scans revealed poor metabolic functioning of the right basal ganglia. This finding, along with bilateral atrophy of the frontal and parietal lobes likely contributed to the disturbance of motor sequencing skills and led to the development and worsening of stuttering, apraxia of speech and swallowing, and eventual aphasia and cognitive decline. We suggest that neurogenic stuttering may be an additional symptom of CBGD.