Analysis of Temporal parameters in the Speech of the Children with Hearing Loss

The surge of literature indicates that the to develop more effective speech training procedures for the subjects with hearingloss, it is necessary to study the deviation in their speech from that of the normal-hearing subjects and hence, the analysis ofspeech of the subjects with hearing loss becomes essential. The current investigation aimed at studying the temporalparameters of vowel and consonants in the speech in children with hearing loss. Sixteen bisyllabic words with stopconsonants and vowels, uttered by participants with severe sensorineural hearing loss and age and gender-matched normalhearing participants in the age range of eight to ten years were recorded and the temporal parameters namely vowel duration,closure duration, consonant duration, voice onset time, burst duration, and word duration were analysed acoustically. Resultsof statistical analyses revealed that there were significant differences in vowel duration, voice onset time, closure durationand consonant duration between the participants of two groups. No differences in burst duration were observed between theparticipants of both groups.

Auditory Cortical Temporal Processing and Hemispheric Asymmetry Revealed by N1 Dipole Source Activity in Adult Cochlear Implant Users / 대한이비인후과학회지

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Cochlear implant (CI) changes the way that sound inputs are processed in the brain, possibly causing brain reorganization. Given that the pattern and degree of reorganization are known to be related to speech perception skill, information regarding hemispheric asymmetry can be used to predict behavioral performances in CI users. The current study investigated the hemispheric asymmetry of N1 dipole cortical activity in response to the temporally varied speech sounds and its relationship to speech perception abilities in adult CI users. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: The cortical activity was recorded from 64 scalp electrodes in 10 CI users and 11 normal-hearing controls. Speech stimuli were synthesized consonant-vowels, the /ba/-/pa/ continuum that ranged from 0 to 50 ms with a 6-step voice onset time (VOT). N1 dipole amplitudes, latencies, and locations were analyzed as a function of VOT and the direction of implantation. Also investigated was the relationship between N1 dipole lateralization and speech perception. RESULTS: For the N1 dipole location, significant location differences between CI and normal hearing groups were seen at 40 ms VOT in the anterior-posterior direction. For hemispheric asymmetry, the N1 dipole activity in good CI performers was higher in the auditory cortex contralateral to the stimulated ear, while poor CI performers showed greater ipsilateral activity. In addition, a lateralization index at 20 ms VOT showed significant correlation with the /ba/-/pa/ consonant perception scores in noise. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that the hemispheric asymmetry of N1 dipole activity in response to stimuli of temporally varied speech has a substantial clinical value, and that this can be used to estimate CI speech perception.

Behavioral Perception and Neural Correlates of Categorical Perception in Cochlear Implant Users / 대한이비인후과학회지

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Although many cochlear implant (CI) recipients receive significant benefits from using the implants, speech perception ability is still known to vary among CI users, and the variability is closely related to the ability of users to process temporal information. As one of the important temporal cues for speech perception in CI users, voice onset time (VOT) can be used to examine behavioral perception and neural correlates of temporal processing. In this study, we measured categorical perception and N1-P2 cortical auditory evoked potentials (CAEPs) using a /ba/-/pa/ VOT continuum in CI users as well as in normal-hearing (NH) listeners. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: Ten CI subjects and 11 NH controls participated in syllable identification tasks and in electroencephalography recording. CI subjects were divided into two groups, which were ‘good’ and ‘poor’ performers based on their speech perception scores. The stimuli used in both experiments were a synthetic /ba/-/pa/ VOT continuum. The identification boundary and N1-P2 peak-to-peak amplitude were measured for each subject group. RESULTS: Behavioral results revealed that poor CI performers had a delayed identification boundary compared to NH listeners and good CI performers. However, N1-P2 peak-to-peak amplitudes in both good and poor CI performers were significantly smaller than those in NH group. CONCLUSION: N1-P2 amplitudes reflected decreased auditory cortical activity of temporal cues in CI users. The categorical perception of good CI performers was similar to that of NH listeners, whereas their cortical responses were decreased to the level similar to that of poor CI performers. This finding indicates that CAEPs would be more sensitive to altered temporal processing of CI users than to behavioral measures.

The Perceptual and Consonant Analysis for the Voice with Hypothyroidism

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The main purpose of this study is to clarify perceptual and acoustic analysis for the patients with hypothyroidism after thyroidectomy especially focused on the characteristics of speech articulation with special reference to the consonant production. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The subjects of the research were 40 male and female adults (males : 5, females : 35). They were all received radioactive iodine treatment which after total thyroidectomy. Voice samples were collected during the three stages of after surgery, pre-radioisotope treatment (RIT), and post-RIT. The acoustic analysis was conducted by using Pratt (ver.5.2.21) after measuring voice onset time (VOT). The subjective evaluation of the voices used CAPE-V. RESULTS: A significant decrease in overall severity was displayed in the CAPE-V following RIT. It may be conjectured that this is connected to the change in voice following RIT. The loudness of the sound displayed a significant decrease in the CAPE-V following RIT. It is conjectured that this is connected to the decrease in vocal intensity following RIT. No statistically significant results were revealed for the comparative analysis on the voice onset time (VOT) in all plosives during the three periods. CONCLUSION: Perceptually, the overall severity of the voice with hypothyroidism was changed significantly before and after RIT. Eventhough VOT were not significantly changed, it tended to decrease VOT in patients with hypothyroidism.

Uso do Voice Onset Time associado à diadococinesia oral e laríngea na avaliação da disartria na Esclerose lateral amiotrófica / Using Voice Onset Time (VOT) in association with oral and laryngeal diadochokinesia in evaluation of the dysarthria in Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis / El uso del Voice Onset Time asociado con diadochokinesia oral y laringeal en la evaluación de la disartria en esclerosis lateral amiotrófica

A Esclerose Lateral Amiotrófica (ELA) é uma doença progressiva que envolve a degeneração do sistema motor, afetando neurônios motores superiores e inferiores. Os sinais clínicos da ELA variam de acordo com a região afetada. As funções fonoarticulatórias, deglutitórias e respiratórias são muitas vezes afetadas e em relação à avaliação e monitoramento das alterações encontradas na fonoarticulação, a diadococinesia (DDK) é amplamente utilizada. A análise do Voice Onset Time (VOT) associada à DDK pode contribuir para avaliação acurada da disartria na ELA. Participaram do estudo 10 sujeitos com ELA (GE) e 13 sujeitos que formaram o grupo controle (GC). O número de sujeitos com ELA representa uma amostra considerável visto que a doença tem rápido curso e os sujeitos se encontravam em um estágio avançado da doença. Foi realizada análise da DDK e do VOT e aplicado teste estatístico para verificar possíveis diferenças na DDK entre o GC e o GE. Os parâmetros da DDK, Média do período da DDK (AVP) e Média da taxa da DDK (AVR), mostraram diferenças em todas as tarefas. Desvio-padrão do período (SDP) e Coeficiente de Perturbação do período (JITT) apresentaram diferença para duas tarefas (/ta/ e /ka/). A análise do VOT dos sujeitos permitiu caracterizar qualitativamente a produção das tarefas da DDK e mostrou que os sujeitos, principalmente com comprometimento bulbar, não chegam a produzir o som esperado pelo teste, tornando insuficiente a utilização apenas da DDK nesses casos. A associação do VOT à DDK possibilita avaliação mais completa e qualitativa da disartria em doenças como a ELA com sintomas bulbares...

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a progressive degenerative disease that involves the motor neurons (upper and lower motor neurons). The presenting clinical symptoms are associated with involved areas and include speech disorders, swallowing disorders and respiratory problems. The diadochokinesia (DDK) is used to evaluate speech disorders presenting on ALS. The Voice Onset Time (VOT) analysis in association with diadochokinesia may contribute to improve analysis of speech in subjects with ALS. 10 subjects with ALS were studied (GE) and 13 subjects without neurological problems were the control group (GC). The number of ALS´ subjects in this study represents a considerable corpus as the ALS disease has a fast progression and the subjects were in an advanced state of the disease. The DDK and VOT were measured. The statistical analysis of DDK data showed differences between groups to Average Diadochokinesia Period (AVP), Average Diadochokinesia Rate (AVR), Standard Deviation of Period (SDP) and Perturbation of Diadochokinesia Period (JITT) parameters. AVP and AVR showed differences in all tasks. JITT and SDP indicated differences to /ta/ and /ka/ tasks. The VOT analysis allows a qualitative characterization of the subjects´ speech production in DDK and showed that the subjects (with bulbar symptoms) did not produce the sound production expected what turns the singular use of DDK analyzes insufficient in this cases. Associate VOT and DDK guarantees complete and qualitative analyses of speech production in ALS disease, which can present immobility of facial movements...

Esclerosis Lateral Amiotrófica (ELA) es una enfermedad progresiva que implica en la degeneración del sistema motor, afectando las neuronas motoras superiores e inferiores. Los signos clínicos de ELA difieren de acuerdo a la región afectada. Las funciones de habla, deglutición y respiración son a menudo afectadas y en relación a la evaluación y seguimiento de los cambios encontrados en la articulación del habla, la diadochokinesia (DDK) es ampliamente utilizada. El análisis del Voice Onset Time (VOT) asociado con la DDK puede contribuir para una evaluación mas exacta de la disartria en ELA. Participaron del estudio 10 sujetos con ELA (GE) y 13 sujetos que formaron el grupo control (GC). Elnúmero de sujetos con ELA representa una poblacion considerable ya que la enfermedad tiene un curso rápido y los sujetos se encontraban en una fase avanzada de la enfermedad. Se realizó el análisis de DDK y VOT y se aplicó prueba estadística para comprobar las diferencias posibles en la DDK entre GC y GE. Los parámetros de la DDK, el pormedio del período de la DDK (AVP) y el pormedio de la tasa de la DDK (AVR), mostraron diferencias en todas las tareas. La Desviación Estándar del Período (SDP) y el Coeficiente de Perturbación del período (JITT) presentan diferencia para dos tareas (/ta/ y /ka/). El análisis del VOT de los sujetos permitió caracterizar cualitativamente la producción de las tareas de DDK y mostró que los sujetos, principalmente con comprometimiento bulbar, no llegan a producir el sonido esperado en la prueba, hasiendo insuficiente el uso apenas de la DDK en estos casos. La asociación de la VOT a la DDK posibilita una evaluación más completa y cualitativa de la disartria en enfermedades como ELA con síntomas bulbares...

Voice Onset Time Variations of Korean Stop Consonants in Aphasic Speakers

OBJECTIVE: To compare the voice onset time (VOT) differences of Korean stops in the initial and intervocalic positions between the aphasic patients with peculiarities of aspiration and a control group. METHOD: We examined 15 aphasic patients (nine males, six females) who had suffered a stroke (average age 49.7 years) and 15 healthy controls (average age 47.4 years). An aphasia examination was made by an aphasia battery of three standard tests and VOT was analyzed instrumentally. Stop consonants in the initial and intervocalic position were measured to categorize them according to aphasia types, place of articulation, and manner of articulation. RESULTS: VOT of the aphasic patients with peculiarities of aspiration had a greater difference than that of the controls, indicating that the temporal non-coordination between the laryngeal adjustment and oral articulators of aphasic patients happens due to the VOT of stops in the initial and intervocalic positions (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: VOT of stop consonants in the initial position produced by aphasic patients tends to be proportional to their breathing. It can cause glottal width and make aphasic patients' VOT duration longer. Lastly, the method to measure the VOT of aphasic patients is more significant for the types of phonation than for the places of articulation, and makes it possible to induce abnormal VOT.