a&p midterm 2: Physiology of Articulation and Resonance

Cineradiography

X-ray video that uses radiation to show real-time movement of hard & soft palate

MRI

Magnetic fields & radio waves that produce detailed 2D & 3D images of soft palate (doesn’t use radiation).

Ultrasound

Uses high frequency sound waves to show tongue shape & movement contour.

Electropalatography

Embedded electrodes in an artificial palate to show the location & timing of tongue-to-palate contact.

Acoustic measures

Microphone & computer software that measures sound wave properties (frequency, intensity, & duration)

Rooting Reflex

Baby turns head toward touch on cheek

Suck Reflex

Baby begins to suck if touched on palate

Grasp Reflex

Stroking a baby’s palm causes grasp

Emergence

Child heard producing certain phonemes (production is still inconsistent & muscle movement not yet coordinated)

Mastery

Child consistently producing target phonemes (muscle movements are coordinated and well-controlled)

Challenges in Theories of Speech Production

Serial order of speech, Degrees of freedom, Motor equivalence, & Context sensitivity

Serial order of speech

Speech occurs as a sequence unfolding in time (phonemes, syllables, words, pauses, stress, etc.)

Degrees of freedom

Complex system of many different muscle groups requiring precise spatio-temporal coordination.

Motor equivalence

Many ways to achieve same target production. No motor invariance (Ex. talking w/ hard candy/ cigarette)

Context sensitivity

Speech movements change with context (coarticulation, rate, stress, articulatory precision)

Computational Models

Synthetic speech systems that are programed to act as closely to the human speech mechanism as possible

Apraxia of Speech

Disorder of motor planning (motor planning in premotor cortex & insula may be impaired). Addition, deletion, substitution, ordering of phonemes, consonant clusters, etc.

Dysarthria

Impaired neuromuscular execution of speech. 6 types (Ataxic, Flaccid, Hypokinetic, Hyperkinetic, Spastic, and Mixed)

Ataxic Dysarthria

A motor speech disorder caused by damage to the cerebellum—the part of the brain responsible for coordinating muscle movements, balance, and timing. Speech sounds uncoordinated, erratic, and slurred

Flaccid Dysarthria

a motor speech disorder caused by damage to the lower motor neurons (LMNs) of the peripheral nervous system. Speech muscles become weak, floppy, or paralyzed

Hypokinetic Dysarthria

Caused by injury of BG pathways. Is a motor speech disorder characterized by reduced range, speed, and force of movement in the muscles used for speaking

Hyperkinetic Dysarthria

a motor speech disorder caused by damage to the basal ganglia control circuit in the brain, resulting in abnormal, involuntary movements that interrupt speech production

Spastic Dysarthria

Damage to bilateral UMN, leading to chronic tightness, spasticity, and a reduced range of motion in the muscles used for speaking