Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park.
Department of Neurology, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey.
Am J Speech Lang Pathol. 2018 Feb 6;27(1):258-269. doi: 10.1044/2017_AJSLP-16-0230.
The current study investigated whether articulatory kinematic patterns can be extrapolated across the spectrum of dysarthria severity in individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Temporal and spatial articulatory kinematic data were collected using electromagnetic articulography from 14 individuals with dysarthria secondary to ALS and 6 typically aging speakers. Speech intelligibility and speaking rate were used as indices of severity.
Temporal measures (duration, speed of articulators) were significantly correlated with both indices of severity. In speakers with dysarthria, spatial measures were not correlated with severity except in 3 measures: tongue movement displacement was more reduced in the anterior-posterior dimension; jaw movement distance was greater in the inferior-superior dimension; jaw convex hull area was larger in speakers with slower speaking rates. Visual inspection of movement trajectories revealed that overall spatial kinematic characteristics in speakers with severe dysarthria differed qualitatively from those in speakers with mild or moderate dysarthria. Unlike speakers with dysarthria, typically aging speakers displayed variable tongue movement and minimal jaw movement.
The current study revealed that spatial articulatory characteristics, unlike temporal characteristics, showed a complicated pattern across the severity spectrum. The findings suggest that articulatory characteristics in speakers with severe dysarthria cannot simply be extrapolated from those in speakers with mild-to-moderate dysarthria secondary to ALS.
本研究旨在探讨发音运动学模式是否可以从肌萎缩侧索硬化症（ALS）患者的不同发音障碍严重程度中推断出来。
使用电磁口部描记法从 14 名因 ALS 导致发音障碍的个体和 6 名正常衰老的说话者中收集了发音运动学的时间和空间数据。言语清晰度和说话速度用作严重程度的指标。
时间测量（持续时间、发音器官的速度）与两个严重程度指标显著相关。在发音障碍的说话者中，空间测量与严重程度无关，除了 3 项测量指标：舌运动的前后向位移减少；上下向的下颌运动距离增大；说话速度较慢的说话者的下颌凸包络面积更大。运动轨迹的视觉检查表明，严重发音障碍说话者的整体空间运动学特征在质量上与轻度或中度发音障碍的说话者不同。与发音障碍的说话者不同，正常衰老的说话者表现出可变的舌运动和最小的下颌运动。
本研究表明，与时间特征不同，空间发音特征在严重程度谱上呈现出复杂的模式。这些发现表明，严重发音障碍的说话者的发音特征不能简单地从轻度到中度发音障碍的 ALS 患者的特征中推断出来。
