[Stuttering as the only manifestation of a cerebral infarct]

A 53-year-old right-handed man acutely developed stuttering. On his examination there was blocks and repetitions exclusively on first syllables of words in conversational speech, improving in automatic tasks. There was neither aphasia, nor other neurological deficits. An MR imaging of the brain showed a circumscribed cortical infarct on the left precentral circunvolution. Cerebral angiography was consistent with atherosclerotic narrowing of the intracavernous segment of left internal carotid artery. Artery-to-artery embolism was the suggested mechanism for this stroke and the patient was treated with oral anticoagulants for six months. Stuttering improved progressively and the patient became asymptomatic a month after the stroke. Ictal acquired stuttering symptomatic of ischemic stroke without aphasia or other neurological deficit is exceptional. An small infarct on the left motor area as cause of isolated acquired stuttering adds new information about neural circuits involved in this phenomenon.