WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP)- Purdue University researchers are seeking children between the ages of seven and 12 who stutter to take part in a 3-year study.

Speech-language pathologist Bridge Walsh is leading the study in collaboration with the Purdue Stuttering Project in hopes of improving diagnosis and intervention options for school-age children who stutter.

The project is using a newer, noninvasive neuroimaging technology to examine the brain at work during speaking. Walsh says few studies have looked at the neural mechanisms of stuttering in the seven- to 12-year-old age group due to the challenges other brain imaging techniques pose.

She says using the new technology will allow researchers to “begin to unravel potential differences in neural activity during speech'' and develop a better understanding of speech and language processes in children who stutter.