Speech Production and Neurology Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms in speech production, neurology, and related anatomy.

Efferent

Carries motor signals from the brain to the body.

Afferent

Carries sensory signals from the body to the brain.

Interneurons

Connect neurons within the brain and spinal cord.

Neurotransmitters

Chemical messengers that send signals between neurons.

Glial Cells

Support cells that help with signal speed (myelin), clean-up, and protection.

Myelin

Fatty coating from glial cells that speeds up nerve transmission.

Blood-brain barrier

A filter that protects the brain from harmful substances.

Basal Ganglia

Helps control movement and motor planning.

Thalamus

Relay station for sensory and motor signals to the cortex.

Cerebellum

Coordinates balance, fine motor skills, and posture.

Midbrain

Controls eye movement and processes visual/auditory info.

Pons

Connects brain areas; controls breathing and facial movements.

Medulla

Manages automatic functions like heartbeat and breathing.

Left Hemisphere

Controls sequential processing (step-by-step tasks); dominant for speech and language functions.

Right Hemisphere

Specializes in holistic processing (seeing the big picture); involved in face recognition; important for understanding and expressing emotions.

Broca’s Area

Responsible for programming movements needed for speech production.

Wernicke’s Area

Important for understanding spoken (auditory) language.

Arcuate Fasciculus

A bundle of nerve fibers that connects Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas; supports communication between speech production and language understanding centers.

Primary Motor Strip

Also called the precentral gyrus; controls voluntary movements, including those used in speech articulation.

Trigeminal (V)

Jaw movement and facial sensation.

Facial (VII)

Facial expressions and taste.

Glossopharyngeal (IX)

Throat sensation and swallowing.

Vagus (X)

Voice production and control of soft palate.

Accessory (XI)

Neck and shoulder movement for speech support.

Hypoglossal (XII)

Tongue movement for articulation.

Trigeminal Nerve (V) - Motor

Controls the muscles used for chewing (mastication).

Trigeminal Nerve (V) - Sensory

Carries sensation from the face, upper teeth, and eyes.

Facial Nerve (VII) - Motor

Controls facial expression muscles.

Facial Nerve (VII) - Sensory

Provides some sensation to the face and taste from the front of the tongue.

Auditory/Vestibulocochlear Nerve (VIII) - Sensory

Responsible for hearing and balance signals from the inner ear to the brain.

Vagus Nerve (X) - Motor

Controls movements of the larynx (voice box) and pharynx (throat), important for speech and swallowing.

Vagus Nerve (X) - Sensorimotor

Involved in both sensory and motor functions for internal organs, especially in the abdomen.

Hypoglossal Nerve (XII) - Motor

Controls tongue movement, essential for articulation and swallowing.

Pyramidal Tract

A direct pathway that carries motor signals from the cortex to the peripheral nerves; controls voluntary, fine motor movements, especially in the face and limbs.

Extrapyramidal Tract

An indirect and complex pathway that helps regulate and refine involuntary and automatic movements; works through loops with the basal ganglia to support coordination, posture, and muscle tone.

Computerized Tomography (CT) Scan

Uses X-rays to create detailed images of the brain; it is quick and good for detecting bleeding, tumors, and bone injuries.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

Uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce high-resolution images of soft tissues like the brain; it is helpful for diagnosing strokes, tumors, and structural abnormalities.

Positron Emission Tomography (PET)

Measures brain activity by detecting where a radioactive tracer goes in the brain; it shows how the brain is functioning, often used for studying metabolism and detecting conditions like Alzheimer’s disease.

Respiration

The process of moving air in and out of the lungs.

True Ribs

Attached directly to the sternum.

False Ribs

Attached indirectly or not at all to the sternum.

Floating Ribs

Not attached to the sternum at all.

Diaphragm and External Intercostals

These are the primary muscles used for inhalation.

Boyle’s Law

Explains that when lung volume increases, pressure inside the lungs decreases.

Elastic Recoil

After inhalation, the lungs naturally want to return to their resting size.

Quiet Breathing

Inspiration and expiration are about the same length of time; expiration is passive, meaning it happens naturally through elastic recoil, without muscle effort.

Speech Breathing

The lungs are filled to a larger volume than in quiet breathing, and the expiratory phase is longer to provide a steady flow of air; this helps maintain constant subglottal pressure, which is needed to drive the vocal cords for clear speech production.

Cricoid Cartilage

A ring-shaped cartilage at the base of the larynx that supports it and connects it to the trachea.

Thyroid Cartilage

The largest laryngeal cartilage; forms the “Adam’s apple” and protects the vocal folds.

Arytenoid Cartilages

Small, paired cartilages that sit on top of the cricoid; they control the movement and tension of the vocal folds for speech.

False Folds

Also called ventricular folds; do not produce sound but help close the airway during swallowing.

True Folds

The vocal folds that vibrate to produce sound; located between the arytenoid cartilages and thyroid cartilage.

Vocal Ligament

Connective tissue within the vocal folds that helps maintain their structure and tension.

Vocalis Muscle

A muscle inside the vocal folds that adjusts tension to change pitch and quality of voice.

Glottis

The space between the vocal folds; its size changes with movement of the folds.

Adduction

Vocal folds move together; needed for phonation.

Abduction

Vocal folds move apart; needed for breathing.

Thyroarytenoids

These muscles run from the thyroid cartilage to the arytenoids; they help shorten and relax the vocal folds, affecting pitch and loudness.

Posterior Cricoarytenoid (PCA)

The only muscle that abducts (opens) the vocal folds, allowing for breathing.

Cricothyroid

Stretches and tenses the vocal folds by tilting the thyroid cartilage forward; it helps raise pitch.

Interarytenoids

These muscles adduct (close) the vocal folds by pulling the arytenoids together; active during voicing.

Lateral Cricoarytenoid (LCA)

Helps adduct the vocal folds by rotating the arytenoids inward; also important for phonation.

Aerodynamic Myoelastic Theory

Explains how vocal fold vibration happens during phonation (voicing). Voice starts when air pressure pushes vocal folds apart; folds vibrate and create sound.

Complex Waveform

Complex waveform created by vocal fold vibration, made of harmonics; quasiperiodic and often triangular.

Fundamental Frequency (F0)

The base rate of vocal fold vibration, heard as pitch.

Harmonics

Higher frequencies layered above the fundamental frequency that affect voice quality.

Frequency

How often the vocal folds vibrate in one second, measured in Hertz (Hz). Determines pitch.

Intensity

Loudness; depends on the force of the air coming from the lungs.

Oral Cavity

The space from the lips to the back of the throat; shapes most speech sounds.

Nasal Cavity

Extends from the nostrils (nares) back to the velopharynx; sounds like /m/, /n/, and /ŋ/ resonate here.

Velopharynx

The region where the oral and nasal cavities meet; controls whether sound flows through the nose or mouth.

Pharynx

The throat area that runs from the nasal cavity down to the vocal folds; plays a role in resonance and filtering of sound.

Teeth

Set in the upper jaw (maxilla) and lower jaw (mandible); help produce sounds like /f/, /v/, /θ/, and /ð/.

Lips

Controlled by the orbicularis oris muscle, the lips help form bilabial sounds like /p/, /b/, and /m/, and also help shape vowels.

Alveolar Ridge

The bumpy area just behind the upper front teeth; sounds like /t/, /d/, /s/, and /n/ are made by placing the tongue here.

Hard Palate

The hard roof of the mouth; helps with the production of palatal sounds like /ʃ/ and /ʒ/.

Soft Palate (Velum)

This part can lift or lower to direct air through the mouth or nose; it’s important for sounds like /k/, /g/, and /ŋ/, and for controlling nasality.

Mandible

The lower jaw is the largest moving articulator; it helps open and close the mouth for speech and chewing.

Tongue

One of the most important articulators, the tongue shapes most speech sounds by changing its position and shape in the mouth.

Fundamental Frequency (FF)

It is the lowest frequency of a sound wave produced by the vocal folds, and it determines the pitch of a person’s voice.

Harmonics

Frequencies that are whole-number multiples of the fundamental frequency; help shape the sound and add richness to the voice.

Nature of Vocal Tract

Acts like a filter; enhances some frequencies (resonances) and dampens others; gives each person’s voice a unique sound quality (timbre).

Suprasegmentals

Features of speech like loudness, pitch, and duration that add meaning, emotion, and rhythm to our speech.

Source-Filter Theory

Explains how we produce speech: the sound from the vocal folds is shaped into different speech sounds using the tongue, lips, and other articulators.

Coarticulation

Articulators prepare for the next sound before finishing the current one, making speech smoother and faster.

Motor Equivalence

We can use different movements or muscles to achieve the same speech sound.

Articulation

Moving lips, tongue, etc., to shape sounds into speech.

Functional Asymmetry

Hemispheres have different jobs but work together.