Speaking rate effects on tongue motor control in talkers with als

"The objective of this study was to determine the effects of cued speaking rate modulations on tongue movement variability in talkers with ALS and healthy controls. Hypothesis 1: Talkers with ALS will display lower tongue movement variability during habitual speech but greater variability during fast and slow speech compared to the control group. Hypothesis 2: Habitual speech will be most stable in talkers with ALS whereas fast speech will be most stable in controls relative to other conditions."--Aims & hypothese

Articulatory Performance in Dysarthria: Using a Data-Driven Approach to Estimate Articulatory Demands and Deficits

This study pursued two goals: (1) to establish range of motion (ROM) demand tiers (i.e., low, moderate, high) specific to the jaw (J), lower lip (LL), posterior tongue (PT), and anterior tongue (AT) for multisyllabic words based on the articulatory performance of neurotypical talkers and (2) to identify demand- and disease-specific articulatory performance characteristics in talkers with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Parkinson’s disease (PD). J, LL, PT, and AT movements of 12 talkers with ALS, 12 talkers with PD, and 12 controls were recorded using electromagnetic articulography. Vertical ROM, average speed, and movement duration were measured. Results showed that in talkers with PD, J and LL ROM were already significantly reduced at the lowest tier whereas PT and AT ROM were only significantly reduced at moderate and high tiers. In talkers with ALS, J ROM was significantly reduced at the moderate tier whereas LL, PT, and AT ROM were only significantly reduced at the highest tier. In both clinical groups, significantly reduced J and LL speeds could already be observed at the lowest tier whereas significantly reduced AT speeds could only be observed at the highest tier. PT speeds were already significantly reduced at the lowest tier in the ALS group but not until the moderate tier in the PD group. Finally, movement duration, but not ROM or speed performance, differentiated between ALS and PD even at the lowest tier. Results suggest that articulatory deficits vary with stimuli-specific motor demands across articulators and clinical groups

An articulatory kinematic study of loud speech in talkers with als

"To evaluate the effects of loud speech on tongue motor control in the ALS population."--Study aim

Is working memory affected in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis?

"To identify working memory components that are affected in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis."--Aim

Interaction of language and speech motor processes in older adults

"The primary objective of this study is to determine if older adults show greater differences in tongue movement stability with increasing phonological complexity of real word productions."--Study objective

Differential effects of increased loudness on tongue kinematics in individuals with PD? Analyses of two cases

Previous studies have suggested significant variation in the perceptual speech deficit displayed by individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD). This heterogeneity is partly attributed to differential changes in the underlying articulatory kinematics across speakers. Loudness-based treatment has been frequently used in individuals with PD. An improved understanding of individual differences and the effects of loudness on tongue movement in individuals with PD may help optimize speech intervention. The present study aimed to (1) examine individual differences in tongue kinematics during habitual and loud sentence production in two dysarthric speakers with PD, and (2) examine the effect of loudness manipulations on tongue kinematics during sentence production within each dysarthric speaker with PD. Electromagnetic articulography was used to record tongue tip movement during habitual and loud sentence productions in two participants with PD. Their performance was first matched with the performance of an age and gender-matched healthy individual. Subsequently, a within-participant comparison between habitual and loud sentence production was carried out to examine the effect of increased loudness. When compared with an age and gender-matched healthy control, both PD individuals showed greater tongue kinematic parameters during habitual and loud sentence productions. Subsequently, a within-participant comparison showed that, from habitual to loud speech, one PD speaker increased distance and maximum velocity of tongue movement while the other reduced maximum acceleration of tongue movement. The observed individual differences in tongue kinematics may be predictive of the efficacy of loudness-based treatments for articulatory and consequent perceptual improvements for individual participants

Speech performance in als : influence of speech motor and linguistic complexity

"The primary objective was to determine the effects of motor and linguistic complexity of spoken words on tongue motor control as indexed by the spatiotemporal variability of tongue movements. Hypothesis 1: Individuals with bulbar ALS will display increased tongue movement variability with stimuli of increasing motor and linguistic complexity."--Study aim and hypothesis