Acoustic Analysis of Vocal Instability in Cerebellar Dysfunctions

1994 ◽  
Vol 103 (2) ◽  
pp. 98-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hermann Ackermann ◽  
Wolfram Ziegler
Keyword(s):  
Acoustic Analysis ◽  
Cerebellar Atrophy ◽  
Motor Deficits ◽  
Olivopontocerebellar Atrophy ◽  
Normal Range ◽  
Pitch Level ◽  
Vocal Effort ◽  
Cortical Dysfunction ◽  
Asymmetrically Distributed ◽  
Respiratory Reflexes

Acoustic analysis of vocal instability during the production of isolated vowels, including computation of mean fundamental frequency (F0), period-to-period variability (jitter), pitch fluctuations, and between-trial variation of F0, was performed in 20 patients with cerebellar cortical dysfunction. Eleven subjects suffered from purely cerebellar atrophy (CA). In the remaining 9 patients olivopontocerebellar atrophy (OPCA) had been diagnosed. A subgroup of both the CA and OPCA subjects presented with enlarged pitch fluctuations and/or increased jitter values. It is conceivable that asymmetrically distributed motor deficits at the laryngeal level and altered gain settings of laryngeal and/or respiratory reflexes account for the observed phonatory instability. Moreover, 5 of the 20 cerebellar patients had a pitch level exceeding the upper limit of the normal range. Presumably, this deviation reflects increased vocal effort.

scholarly journals A case of multiple system atrophy

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (11) ◽  
pp. 5839-5843
Author(s):  
Jing Guo ◽  
Fuying Liu ◽  
Tingting Liu ◽  
Xin Zhang ◽  
Yong Luo
Keyword(s):  
Multiple System Atrophy ◽  
Neurodegenerative Disorder ◽  
Psychological Impact ◽  
Clinical Manifestations ◽  
Cerebellar Atrophy ◽  
Guizhou Province ◽  
Motor Deficits ◽  
Autonomic Nerves ◽  
Autonomic Nervous System Disorders ◽  
Cerebellar Type

Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is the most rapidly progressive neurodegenerative disorder among the various types of synucleinopathies. The cause of MSA remains unknown, but it can involve the extrapyramidal system, the pyramidal system, the autonomic nerves and the cerebellum. The main clinical manifestations are Parkinson's symptoms, cerebellar ataxia, pyramidal tract signs and autonomic nervous system disorders. Depending on the initial predominant motor deficits, MSA is subclassified into either Parkinsonian type (MSA-P) or cerebellar type (MSA-C). MSA is rare in the Zunyi area of Guizhou Province, so when it is observed for the first time it often results in a convoluted diagnosis and treatment process, which takes a lot of time, money, manpower and material resources, which can also have a psychological impact on the patient. This report describes the case of a 60-year-old woman who presented with syncope for 1 year combined with dizziness for 1 day. She had been diagnosed twice with transient ischaemic attack in the previous 6 months. Cranial magnetic resonance imaging suggested widening of the cerebellar sulcus and mild cerebellar atrophy. Based on the patient’s medical history, physical signs and auxiliary examinations, she was diagnosed with MSA-C.

Acoustic analysis of a sound change in progress: The consonant cluster /stɹ/ in English

2011 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ben Rutter
Keyword(s):  
Acoustic Analysis ◽  
Sound Change ◽  
Spectral Peak ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Consonant Cluster ◽  
Stable Method ◽  
Limited Evidence ◽  
Normal Range ◽  
Novel Variants

For some speakers of English, realization of the fricative in the consonant cluster /stɹ/may be undergoing a sound change in progress. Previous reports suggest that /s/ is being realized as the postalveolar fricative [ʃ], with the approximant /ɹ/ as a possible trigger. Research in sociolinguistics also indicates that there may be various intermediate stages of the change, falling somewhere between a typical /ʃ/ and /s/. However, information about the precise phonetic characteristics of these novel variants is still sparse, and existing sociolinguistic studies have not compared speakers’ realization of /stɹ/ to their typical /s/ and /ʃ/ productions. This paper uses the acoustic measurement of spectral peak to compare ten English speakers’ productions of the onsets /ʃ/, /ʃɹ/, /stɹ/, and /s/. The findings suggest that the majority of tokens produced by these speakers fall within their normal range for /ʃ/, with only limited evidence of intermediate forms. It is proposed that spectral peak measurement seems to be a stable method for use in future research categorizing variants of /stɹ/. However, this should include comparison to subjects’ normal /ʃ/ productions.

Testing the Hyperarticulation and Prosodic Hypotheses of Child-Directed Speech: Insights From the Perceptual and Acoustic Characteristics of Child-Directed Cantonese Tones

2018 ◽  
Vol 61 (8) ◽  
pp. 1907-1925
Author(s):  
Puisan Wong ◽  
Kelly Wing Sum Ng
Keyword(s):  
Acoustic Analysis ◽  
Final Position ◽  
Perceptual Accuracy ◽  
Acoustic Characteristics ◽  
Lexical Information ◽  
Error Patterns ◽  
Lowering Effect ◽  
Lower Accuracy ◽  
Low Pass ◽  
Pitch Level

Purpose The function of child-directed speech has been debated for decades. This study examined the perceptual and acoustic characteristics of child- and adult-directed Cantonese tones to test the hyperarticulation and prosodic hypotheses that have been proposed to account for the acoustic modifications in child-directed speech. Method Sixty-two mother–child dyads participated in the study. The mothers verbally labeled 30 pictures in monosyllabic isolated words and in the final position of a carrier sentence to the experimenter and their 1- to 5-year-old children. The 8,634 adult- and child-directed productions were low-pass filtered to eliminate lexical information and presented to 5 judges for tone identification. Acoustic analysis was performed on the productions. Results Acoustically, child-directed tones were produced with an elevated pitch, and the pitch level decreased as the child's age increased. Acoustic contrasts between phonetically similar and more confusing tones were not enhanced in child-directed speech, and unexpectedly, child-directed tones were identified with a lower accuracy than adult-directed tones. The perceptual errors of child-directed tones mirrored the errors found in identifying tones excised from sentence-final position, which had a pitch-lowering effect on the tones. The lower perceptual accuracy, the lack of enhanced acoustic contrasts in confusing tone pairs, and the similarities in the error patterns in identifying tones in child-directed speech and tones in utterance-final position suggest that the acoustic modifications in child-directed tones are prosodic effects serving pragmatic purposes. Conclusion The findings reject the hyperarticulation hypothesis and support the prosodic hypothesis of child-directed speech.

scholarly journals Motor Deficits and Cerebellar Atrophy in Elovl5 Knock Out Mice

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eriola Hoxha ◽  
Rebecca M. C. Gabriele ◽  
Ilaria Balbo ◽  
Francesco Ravera ◽  
Linda Masante ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cerebellar Atrophy ◽  
Motor Deficits ◽  
Knock Out ◽  
Knock Out Mice

scholarly journals Localization of cortical dysfunction based on auditory and visual naming performance

2009 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 529-535 ◽  
Author(s):  
MARLA J. HAMBERGER ◽  
WILLIAM T. SEIDEL
Keyword(s):  
Language Disorders ◽  
Visual Object ◽  
Clinical Implications ◽  
Normal Range ◽  
Impaired Performance ◽  
Modality Specificity ◽  
Visual Object Naming ◽  
Cortical Dysfunction ◽  
Naming Deficits ◽  
Naming Performance

AbstractNaming is generally considered a left-hemisphere function without precise localization. However, recent cortical stimulation studies demonstrate a modality-related anatomical dissociation, in that anterior temporal stimulation disrupts auditory description naming (“auditory naming”) but not visual object naming (“visual naming”), whereas posterior temporal stimulation disrupts naming on both tasks. We hypothesized that patients with anterior temporal abnormalities would exhibit impaired auditory naming, yet normal range visual naming, whereas patients with posterior temporal abnormalities would exhibit impaired performance on both tasks. Thirty-four patients with documented anterior temporal abnormalities and 14 patients with documented posterior temporal abnormalities received both naming tests. As hypothesized, patients with anterior temporal abnormalities demonstrated impaired auditory naming, yet normal range visual naming performance. Patients with posterior temporal abnormalities were impaired in visual naming; however, auditory naming scores were intact. Although these group patterns were statistically significant, on an individual basis, auditory–visual naming asymmetries better predicted whether individual patients had anterior or posterior temporal abnormalities. These behavioral findings are generally consistent with stimulation results, suggesting that modality specificity is inherent in the organization of language, with predictable neuroanatomical correlates. Results also carry clinical implications regarding localizing dysfunction, identifying and characterizing naming deficits, and potentially, in treating neurologically based language disorders. (JINS, 2009, 15, 529–535.)

scholarly journals Benefits of post-stroke telerehabilitation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Julia Filgueiras Granato ◽  
Júlia Campos Fabri ◽  
Maria Luiza Franco de Oliveira ◽  
Maria Clara Lopes Rezende ◽  
Leandro Vespoli Campos
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Status ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Motor Deficits ◽  
Stroke Patients ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Post Stroke ◽  
Remote Therapy ◽  
Cortical Dysfunction ◽  
Standard Treatment Group

Introduction: Stroke was responsible for 139.4 million cases of global disability in 2019, many of which require rehabilitation. Telerehabilitation has emerged as a promising remote therapy aimed at improving the deficits resulting from stroke. Objective: To compare the benefits of telerehabilitation with the usual methods of rehabilitation in post-stroke patients. Methodology: In April 2021, a literature review including systematic reviews of studies in humans, available in full and published in the last 5 years was executed on MedLine using the descriptors “stroke”, “telerehabilitation” and their MeSH variations. Results: The first selected article revealed that post-stroke telerehabilitation resulted in less expenses and was associated with comparable improvements to the standard treatment group in the recovery of motor deficits, cortical dysfunction and depression. The second review concluded that telerehabilitation was equal to or greater than usual rehabilitation for improvements in daily living and psychological status and restoration of quality of life and motor performance. The third study found that telerehabilitation achieved similar results to face-to-face therapy and usual care on improving daily life. The fourth article reinforced the benefits of telerehabilitation on several outcomes, although current evidence is limited. Conclusion: Telerehabilitation can be an adequate alternative to the care of post-stroke patients, however, further studies are needed to establish the benefits it provides.

Multidimensional assessment of voice and speech after supracricoid laryngectomy with cricohyoidopexy

2004 ◽  
Vol 118 (10) ◽  
pp. 791-795 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Vefa Yücetürk ◽  
Kivanç Günhan
Keyword(s):  
Acoustic Analysis ◽  
Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Voice Quality ◽  
Normal Subjects ◽  
Tongue Base ◽  
Normal Range ◽  
Acoustic Parameters ◽  
Supracricoid Laryngectomy ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Vocal Function

This study was designed: to evaluate the vocal function in the patients with supracricoid laryngectomy (SCL) compared with normal subjects; to determine the factors affecting voice (such as number of arytenoid(s) preserved and movement of larynx and tongue base); and to determine the correlations between videolaryngostroboscopy, acoustic and perceptual parameters. Ten patients who underwent SCL with cricohyoidopexy for primary laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma were included into the study. Vocal function was investigated by means or videolaryngostroboscopy. Voice quality was assessed by means of objective acoustic analysis and subjective perceptual ratings by trained raters.Aberrant, incompetent, and rough mucosal wave was observed in the anterior and superior surfaces of arytenoids(s), the inferior part of tongue base and the lateral walls of the hypopharynx. The acoustic parameters were found to be significantly different from those of normal subjects. The values of perceptual scores were approximately within 50 per cent of normal range. The number of arytenoids spared did not affect acoustic or perceptual measurements. A rough, breathy, unpleasant but intelligible and acceptable voice could be obtained after SCL with cricohyoidopexy.

scholarly journals Biogenic Amine Metabolites and Thiamine in Cerebrospinal Fluid in Heredo-Degenerative Ataxias

2001 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 134-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.I. Botez ◽  
S.N. Young
Keyword(s):  
Cerebrospinal Fluid ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Single Photon ◽  
Photon Emission ◽  
Cerebellar Atrophy ◽  
Olivopontocerebellar Atrophy ◽  
Genetic Studies ◽  
Control Subjects ◽  
Csf Hva ◽  
Related Compounds

ABSTRACT:Background:The aims of the present study were: i) to measure levels of the dopamine metabolite homovanillic acid (HVA), the serotonin metabolite 5-hydroxindoleacetic acid (5HIAA) and precursor tryptophan, as well as the noradrenaline metabolite 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylethylene glycol (MHPG) and thiamine in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with Friedreich's ataxia (FA), olivopontocerebellar atrophy (OPCA), and the autosomal recessive spastic ataxia of Charlevoix-Saguenay (ARSAC), as compared with sex- and age-matched control subjects.Patients and methods:CSF amine related compound levels and thiamine results were compared in 40 FA, 44 OPCAand nine ARSAC patients with those of 94 sex- and age-matched subjects. Neuroimaging (CT scans and single photon emission computed tomographies i.e. SPECT) were carried out in all patients and controls. Genetic studies were conducted on OPCApatients. CSF amine related compounds were measured by high performance liquid chromatography, whereas CSF thiamine levels were measured by a microbiological method.Results:FA patients had significantly lower CSF HVA, 5HIAA and thiamine values than control patients and a trend for lower MHPG levels. In OPCA patients, CSF HVA, MHPG and thiamine values were markedly lower whereas CSF 5HIAA values showed only a trend towards lower levels; in ARSAC patients only thiamine and HVA CSF values were lower than those in control subjects.Conclusion:After presenting the relationships between neurochemical findings on one side, the degree of ataxia, the degree of cerebellar atrophy and the SPECT findings on the other, the authors concluded that replacement and neuroprotective clinical trials in these patients would have to include two or three drugs because the neurotransmitter deficiencies are multiple.

scholarly journals W246G Mutant ELOVL4 Impairs Synaptic Plasticity in Parallel and Climbing Fibers and Causes Motor Defects in a Rat Model of SCA34

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raghavendra Y. Nagaraja ◽  
David M. Sherry ◽  
Jennifer L. Fessler ◽  
Megan A. Stiles ◽  
Feng Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Synaptic Plasticity ◽  
Rat Model ◽  
Neurodegenerative Disorder ◽  
Cerebellar Atrophy ◽  
Long Term Potentiation ◽  
Motor Deficits ◽  
Fatty Acid Elongase ◽  
Long Chain

AbstractSpinocerebellar ataxia (SCA) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by ataxia and cerebellar atrophy. A number of different mutations gives rise to different types of SCA with characteristic ages of onset, symptomatology, and rates of progression. SCA type 34 (SCA34) is caused by mutations in ELOVL4 (ELOngation of Very Long-chain fatty acids 4), a fatty acid elongase essential for biosynthesis of Very Long Chain Saturated and Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (VLC-SFA and VLC-PUFA, resp., ≥28 carbons), which have important functions in the brain, skin, retina, Meibomian glands, testes, and sperm. We generated a rat model of SCA34 by knock-in of the SCA34-causing 736T>G (p.W246G) ELOVL4 mutation. Rats carrying the mutation developed impaired motor deficits by 2 months of age. To understand the mechanism of these motor deficits, we performed electrophysiological studies using cerebellar slices from rats homozygous for W246G mutant ELOVL4 and found marked reduction of long-term potentiation at parallel fiber synapses and long-term depression at climbing fiber synapses onto Purkinje cells. Neuroanatomical analysis of the cerebellum showed normal cytoarchitectural organization with no evidence of degeneration out to 6 months of age. These results point to ELOVL4 as essential for motor function and cerebellar synaptic plasticity. The results further suggest that ataxia in SCA34 patients may arise from a primary impairment of synaptic plasticity and cerebellar network desynchronization before onset of neurodegeneration and progression of the disease at a later age.

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