Stuttering may be more than a speech problem, according to Michigan State University researchers. They say children who stutter also have difficulty identifying rhythmic drumbeats.

"Stuttering has primarily been interpreted as a speech motor difficulty, but this is the first study that shows it's related to a rhythm perception deficit — in other words, the ability to perceive and keep a beat," said Devin McAuley, a psychology professor at MSU.

The underlying mechanism of stuttering is not clear, but the ability to perceive and maintain a beat is believed to be critical for normal speech because it serves as a pacing signal. Past research has shown that for adults who stutter, speech fluency improves dramatically when they speak in time with a metronome.

McAuley and colleagues tested a group of children who stuttered and a group who didn't by having them listen to and then identify rhythmic drumbeats in the context of a computer game. They found that children who stuttered did much worse at judging whether two rhythms were the same or different.

He said the finding is important because interventions that improve beat perception in children who stutter might translate into more effective treatments to improve speech fluency.

Body of Knowledge

The average life span of a human taste bud is 7 to 10 days. By age 60, most people have lost half their taste buds.

Number Cruncher

A Dunkin' Donuts maple frosted doughnut (70 grams) contains 270 calories, 135 from fat. It has 15 grams of total fat, or 23 percent of the recommended total fat intake for a 2,000-calorie daily diet, according to the Calorie Count database.

It contains no cholesterol but 340 milligrams of sodium (14 percent), 32 grams of total carbohydrates (11 percent), 1 gram of dietary fiber, 14 grams of sugar and 3 grams of protein.

Get Me That, Stat!

People with depression are five times likelier to have a breathing-related sleep disorder than non-depressed people.

Counts

5: percentage of Americans who will experience hallucinations (hearing voices or seeing things others cannot perceive) at some point in their lives.

Source: John McGrath, Queensland Brain Institute

Doc Talk

SOB: shortness of breath.

Phobia of the Week

Agliophobia: fear of pain.

Never Say Diet

The speed-eating record for pigs' feet and knuckles is 2.89 pounds in 10 minutes, held by Arturo Rios Jr. The feat left Rios' competitors disgruntled.

Observation

"Isn't it a bit unnerving that doctors call what they do 'practice'?" — comedian George Carlin (1937-2008)

Medical History

This week in 1993, a woman in Paris was surgically given two new lungs, both of which were cut from the single lung of a large man. The procedure was a first in a human. Success was especially significant for children in need, for whom finding donor lungs of the correct size is a problem.

Last Words

"I can't sleep." — Scottish writer James M. Barrie (1860-1937), author of "Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up."

To find out more about Scott LaFee and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.