SPHY205 Introduction to Motor Speech Disorders (Acquired)

A set of question-and-answer flashcards covering definitions, anatomy, pathways, disorders, and clinical features introduced in the SPHY205 lecture on acquired motor speech disorders.

What is the definition of motor speech?

A complex motor activity that involves planning and programming as well as executing and controlling the movements required for speech.

In the communication model, which system converts linguistic plans into movements?

The motor speech system.

Name the five speech subsystems involved in speech production.

Respiration, phonation, articulation, resonance, and prosody.

Which two qualities of speech are primarily influenced by the speech subsystems?

Intelligibility and naturalness.

What is sensorimotor integration in speech?

The essential coordination and integration of sensory (afferent) and motor (efferent) pathways to produce accurate speech movements.

List the four functional divisions of the motor system relevant to speech.

1) Direct activation pathway (UMN)
2) Indirect activation pathway (UMN)
3) Control circuits (Basal ganglia & Cerebellum)
4) Final common pathway (LMN)

Which tracts make up the direct activation pathway?

The corticobulbar tract and the corticospinal tract.

Does the direct activation pathway generally turn motor activity up or down?

Up (it is excitatory and facilitates voluntary movement).

What is the primary role of the indirect activation pathway?

To inhibit or turn down motor activity, managing subconscious, automatic muscle activity such as posture, tone, and reflexes.

Together, which two pathways constitute the Upper Motor Neuron (UMN) system?

The direct activation pathway and the indirect activation pathway.

Which two major control circuits influence speech motor control?

The basal ganglia control circuit and the cerebellar control circuit.

Describe one motor consequence of damage to the basal ganglia.

It can result in either too much movement (hyperkinesia) or too little movement (hypokinesia).

What key functions does the cerebellum provide for speech?

Balance, movement coordination, timing, scaling, feedback to motor cortex, and motor learning/refinement.

What is another name for the Final Common Pathway?

The Lower Motor Neuron (LMN) system.

Why is the Final Common Pathway called the "last link" in speech production?

Because all motor activity for speech ultimately acts through the LMN system before reaching muscles.

Name the six cranial nerves most relevant to speech production.

V (Trigeminal), VII (Facial), IX (Glossopharyngeal), X (Vagus), XI (Accessory), XII (Hypoglossal).

Provide one major motor function of the Vagus nerve (CN X) in speech.

Motor control of the pharynx and larynx.

State the definition of a motor speech disorder by Duffy (2020).

Speech disorders resulting from neurological impairments affecting the planning, programming, control, and/or execution of speech.

Give three common neurological causes (aetiologies) of acquired motor speech disorders.

Stroke, degenerative diseases (e.g., Parkinson’s, Huntington’s), and traumatic brain injury.

What core impairment characterizes dysarthria?

Impaired neuromuscular execution leading to weak, slow, or uncoordinated speech movements.

What core impairment characterizes apraxia of speech?

Impaired motor planning and programming of speech movements despite relatively intact muscle strength.

Which motor speech disorder is associated with impaired initiation and sequencing of speech movements?

Apraxia of speech.

Which speech subsystems can be affected in motor speech disorders?

Any or all of respiration, phonation, articulation, resonance, and prosody.

What determines the type of dysarthria present?

The site of lesion or neurological damage within the motor system.

Which dysarthria type is linked to bilateral UMN lesions and spasticity?

Spastic dysarthria.

Which dysarthria type is associated with LMN lesions and muscular weakness?

Flaccid dysarthria.

Damage to the cerebellar control circuit typically produces which type of dysarthria?

Ataxic dysarthria.

What type of dysarthria is commonly seen with Parkinson's disease and basal ganglia rigidity?

Hypokinetic dysarthria.

Name two common perceptual speech features clinicians listen for when diagnosing motor speech disorders.

Imprecise consonants and hypernasality (other acceptable answers: strained–strangled voice, breathiness, monopitch, etc.).

Why is motor speech production described as non-linear and overlapping?

Because planning, programming, sensory feedback, and execution processes interact continuously rather than occurring in strict sequence.