What is the term for patients who exhibit repetitive speech, such as repeating words?

From the Guidelines

Patients who exhibit repetitive speech, such as repeating words, are typically described as having functional stuttering, which is distinguished from developmental or neurogenic stuttering by its new onset in adulthood and unusual patterns of rate and pausing. The term functional stuttering is used to describe this condition, as noted in the study published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry 1. This condition is characterized by extremes of variability or consistency on sound, syllable, word or phrase repetitions, and increased dysfluency with more simple speech tasks. Some key features of functional stuttering include:

• New onset in adulthood without prior developmental speech output difficulties
• Unusual patterns of rate and pausing
• Increased dysfluency with more simple speech tasks
• Lack of improvement with activities that usually promote fluency Treatment of functional stuttering may involve a combination of symptomatic and psychological approaches, as outlined in the study published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry 1. Some potential strategies for treatment include:
• Education and explanatory approaches, such as reassurance and explanation of the nature of symptoms
• Symptomatic approaches, such as reduction of excessive musculoskeletal tension and modification of stuttering behaviors
• Psychological approaches, such as communication counseling and cognitive-behavioral therapy. It is essential to address the underlying psychosocial issues contributing to the development of functional stuttering, as noted in the study 1. By understanding the specific underlying cause of the condition and developing an effective treatment approach, patients with functional stuttering can experience significant improvements in their quality of life.

From the Research

Definition of Repetitive Speech

• The term for patients who exhibit repetitive speech, such as repeating words, is referred to as palilalia 2.
• Palilalia is a disorder of speech characterized by compulsive repetitions of utterances and has been found in various neurological and psychiatric disorders 2.

Characteristics of Repetitive Speech

• Repetitive speech phenomena can emerge in different forms, including hyperfluent and dysfluent variants, with the former resembling palilalia and the latter being stuttering-like 3.
• These repetitive speech phenomena can appear in patients with advanced Parkinson's disease, with a significant preponderance in those with a long-term, fluctuating disease course 3.
• Repetitive speech behaviors, including freezing of speech, can also occur in parkinsonian syndromes, worsening language functioning and reducing quality of life 4.

Neurological Mechanisms

• The underlying neurological mechanism of repetitive speech disorders, such as palilalia, is thought to involve control malfunctions at the level of the Articulator or impairments of the Formulator 2.
• Damage to the arcuate fasciculus in the dominant hemisphere has been reported to be closely related to repetition disorder, particularly sentence repetition deficit 5.
• The integrity of the arcuate fasciculus in the dominant hemisphere can be indicated by sentence repetition evaluation, suggesting a correlation between the two 5.

Related Disorders

• Repetitive movements and behaviors are also characteristic of other neurological and psychiatric disorders, such as Tourette disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder 6.
• While the clinical distinction between tics and obsessive-compulsive disorder is usually easy, there are borderline forms, and correct symptom recognition is vital for choosing the appropriate treatment modalities 6.