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Tubi R, Ben-David A, Segal O. Characteristics of Lexical Stress in Hebrew-Speaking Children With Childhood Apraxia of Speech. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2024; 67:711-728. [PMID: 38376479 DOI: 10.1044/2023_jslhr-23-00205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/21/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE The purpose of the present study was to explore the ability of Hebrew-speaking children with childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) to produce lexical stress. METHOD A total of 36 children aged between 4 and 7 years, 18 children with CAS, and 18 typically developing (TD) children participated in the study. All children completed language and speech assessments. The children imitated 20 weak-strong and strong-weak target words within short sentences and in isolation. Acoustic analysis of the vowels in the stressed and unstressed syllables of the target words and perceptual judgment of the words by six speech-language pathologists were conducted. RESULTS The acoustic analysis showed significant differences in duration, fundamental frequency, and amplitude between stressed and unstressed vowels in weak-strong and strong-weak words and in both groups of children. The total duration for both the stressed and weak syllables was longer in children with CAS compared to TD children. Rated on a Likert scale of 1-5, where 5 indicates correct production, the productions of lexical stress in the CAS group were judged as above 4 on average but were significantly worse compared to the TD group. The target productions of children with CAS were judged as including excessive, equal, or misplaced stress in 10.8% of the productions, whereas 5.8% of the target productions of the TD children were judged as having inappropriate stress. CONCLUSIONS The present findings suggest that Hebrew-speaking children with CAS produce the acoustic characteristics of lexical stress similarly to their peers, and their productions are perceived as having relatively good lexical stress (above 4), although not as good as TD children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel Tubi
- Department of Communication Disorders, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Israel
| | - Avivit Ben-David
- Department of Communication Disorders, Hadassah Academic College, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Osnat Segal
- Department of Communication Disorders, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Israel
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Israel
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Lu J, Li Y, Zhao Z, Liu Y, Zhu Y, Mao Y, Wu J, Chang EF. Neural control of lexical tone production in human laryngeal motor cortex. Nat Commun 2023; 14:6917. [PMID: 37903780 PMCID: PMC10616086 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42175-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 11/01/2023] Open
Abstract
In tonal languages, which are spoken by nearly one-third of the world's population, speakers precisely control the tension of vocal folds in the larynx to modulate pitch in order to distinguish words with completely different meanings. The specific pitch trajectories for a given tonal language are called lexical tones. Here, we used high-density direct cortical recordings to determine the neural basis of lexical tone production in native Mandarin-speaking participants. We found that instead of a tone category-selective coding, local populations in the bilateral laryngeal motor cortex (LMC) encode articulatory kinematic information to generate the pitch dynamics of lexical tones. Using a computational model of tone production, we discovered two distinct patterns of population activity in LMC commanding pitch rising and lowering. Finally, we showed that direct electrocortical stimulation of different local populations in LMC evoked pitch rising and lowering during tone production, respectively. Together, these results reveal the neural basis of vocal pitch control of lexical tones in tonal languages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junfeng Lu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200040, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Function Restoration and Neural Regeneration, Shanghai, 200040, China
- National Center for Neurological Disorders, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200040, China
| | - Yuanning Li
- School of Biomedical Engineering, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, 201210, China
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
- State Key Laboratory of Advanced Medical Materials and Devices, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, 201210, China
| | - Zehao Zhao
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200040, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Function Restoration and Neural Regeneration, Shanghai, 200040, China
- National Center for Neurological Disorders, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200040, China
| | - Yan Liu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200040, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Function Restoration and Neural Regeneration, Shanghai, 200040, China
- National Center for Neurological Disorders, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200040, China
| | - Yanming Zhu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200040, China
- Speech and Hearing Bioscience & Technology Program, Division of Medical Sciences, Harvard University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Ying Mao
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200040, China.
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Function Restoration and Neural Regeneration, Shanghai, 200040, China.
- National Center for Neurological Disorders, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200040, China.
| | - Jinsong Wu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200040, China.
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Function Restoration and Neural Regeneration, Shanghai, 200040, China.
- National Center for Neurological Disorders, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200040, China.
| | - Edward F Chang
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA.
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA.
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Belyk M, Eichert N, McGettigan C. A dual larynx motor networks hypothesis. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20200392. [PMID: 34719252 PMCID: PMC8558777 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Humans are vocal modulators par excellence. This ability is supported in part by the dual representation of the laryngeal muscles in the motor cortex. Movement, however, is not the product of motor cortex alone but of a broader motor network. This network consists of brain regions that contain somatotopic maps that parallel the organization in motor cortex. We therefore present a novel hypothesis that the dual laryngeal representation is repeated throughout the broader motor network. In support of the hypothesis, we review existing literature that demonstrates the existence of network-wide somatotopy and present initial evidence for the hypothesis' plausibility. Understanding how this uniquely human phenotype in motor cortex interacts with broader brain networks is an important step toward understanding how humans evolved the ability to speak. We further suggest that this system may provide a means to study how individual components of the nervous system evolved within the context of neuronal networks. This article is part of the theme issue 'Voice modulation: from origin and mechanism to social impact (Part I)'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michel Belyk
- Department of Speech Hearing and Phonetic Sciences, University College London, London WC1N 1PJ, UK
- Department of Psychology, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, L39 4QP, UK
| | - Nicole Eichert
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain (FMRIB), Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK
| | - Carolyn McGettigan
- Department of Speech Hearing and Phonetic Sciences, University College London, London WC1N 1PJ, UK
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Waters S, Kanber E, Lavan N, Belyk M, Carey D, Cartei V, Lally C, Miquel M, McGettigan C. Singers show enhanced performance and neural representation of vocal imitation. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20200399. [PMID: 34719245 PMCID: PMC8558773 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Humans have a remarkable capacity to finely control the muscles of the larynx, via distinct patterns of cortical topography and innervation that may underpin our sophisticated vocal capabilities compared with non-human primates. Here, we investigated the behavioural and neural correlates of laryngeal control, and their relationship to vocal expertise, using an imitation task that required adjustments of larynx musculature during speech. Highly trained human singers and non-singer control participants modulated voice pitch and vocal tract length (VTL) to mimic auditory speech targets, while undergoing real-time anatomical scans of the vocal tract and functional scans of brain activity. Multivariate analyses of speech acoustics, larynx movements and brain activation data were used to quantify vocal modulation behaviour and to search for neural representations of the two modulated vocal parameters during the preparation and execution of speech. We found that singers showed more accurate task-relevant modulations of speech pitch and VTL (i.e. larynx height, as measured with vocal tract MRI) during speech imitation; this was accompanied by stronger representation of VTL within a region of the right somatosensory cortex. Our findings suggest a common neural basis for enhanced vocal control in speech and song. This article is part of the theme issue 'Voice modulation: from origin and mechanism to social impact (Part I)'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheena Waters
- Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham TW20 0EX, UK
- Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Charterhouse Square, London EC1M 6BQ, UK
| | - Elise Kanber
- Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham TW20 0EX, UK
- Speech, Hearing and Phonetic Sciences, University College London, 2 Wakefield Street, London WC1N 1PF, UK
| | - Nadine Lavan
- Speech, Hearing and Phonetic Sciences, University College London, 2 Wakefield Street, London WC1N 1PF, UK
- Department of Biological and Experimental Psychology, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, Bethnal Green, London E1 4NS, UK
| | - Michel Belyk
- Speech, Hearing and Phonetic Sciences, University College London, 2 Wakefield Street, London WC1N 1PF, UK
| | - Daniel Carey
- Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham TW20 0EX, UK
- Data & AI, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Novartis Global Service Center, 203 Merrion Road, Dublin 4 D04 NN12, Ireland
| | - Valentina Cartei
- Equipe de Neuro-Ethologie Sensorielle (ENES), Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon, Université de Lyon/Saint-Etienne, 21 rue du Docteur Paul Michelon, 42100 Saint-Etienne, France
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Education, Health and Social Sciences, University of Chichester, College Lane, Chichester, West Sussex PO19 6PE, UK
| | - Clare Lally
- Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham TW20 0EX, UK
- Speech, Hearing and Phonetic Sciences, University College London, 2 Wakefield Street, London WC1N 1PF, UK
| | - Marc Miquel
- Department of Clinical Physics, Barts Health NHS Trust, London EC1A 7BE, UK
- William Harvey Research Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London EC1M 6BQ, UK
| | - Carolyn McGettigan
- Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham TW20 0EX, UK
- Speech, Hearing and Phonetic Sciences, University College London, 2 Wakefield Street, London WC1N 1PF, UK
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Human larynx motor cortices coordinate respiration for vocal-motor control. Neuroimage 2021; 239:118326. [PMID: 34216772 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2021] [Revised: 05/22/2021] [Accepted: 06/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Vocal flexibility is a hallmark of the human species, most particularly the capacity to speak and sing. This ability is supported in part by the evolution of a direct neural pathway linking the motor cortex to the brainstem nucleus that controls the larynx the primary sound source for communication. Early brain imaging studies demonstrated that larynx motor cortex at the dorsal end of the orofacial division of motor cortex (dLMC) integrated laryngeal and respiratory control, thereby coordinating two major muscular systems that are necessary for vocalization. Neurosurgical studies have since demonstrated the existence of a second larynx motor area at the ventral extent of the orofacial motor division (vLMC) of motor cortex. The vLMC has been presumed to be less relevant to speech motor control, but its functional role remains unknown. We employed a novel ultra-high field (7T) magnetic resonance imaging paradigm that combined singing and whistling simple melodies to localise the larynx motor cortices and test their involvement in respiratory motor control. Surprisingly, whistling activated both 'larynx areas' more strongly than singing despite the reduced involvement of the larynx during whistling. We provide further evidence for the existence of two larynx motor areas in the human brain, and the first evidence that laryngeal-respiratory integration is a shared property of both larynx motor areas. We outline explicit predictions about the descending motor pathways that give these cortical areas access to both the laryngeal and respiratory systems and discuss the implications for the evolution of speech.
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Eichert N, Papp D, Mars RB, Watkins KE. Mapping Human Laryngeal Motor Cortex during Vocalization. Cereb Cortex 2020; 30:6254-6269. [PMID: 32728706 PMCID: PMC7610685 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhaa182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2020] [Revised: 06/01/2020] [Accepted: 06/06/2020] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The representations of the articulators involved in human speech production are organized somatotopically in primary motor cortex. The neural representation of the larynx, however, remains debated. Both a dorsal and a ventral larynx representation have been previously described. It is unknown, however, whether both representations are located in primary motor cortex. Here, we mapped the motor representations of the human larynx using functional magnetic resonance imaging and characterized the cortical microstructure underlying the activated regions. We isolated brain activity related to laryngeal activity during vocalization while controlling for breathing. We also mapped the articulators (the lips and tongue) and the hand area. We found two separate activations during vocalization-a dorsal and a ventral larynx representation. Structural and quantitative neuroimaging revealed that myelin content and cortical thickness underlying the dorsal, but not the ventral larynx representation, are similar to those of other primary motor representations. This finding confirms that the dorsal larynx representation is located in primary motor cortex and that the ventral one is not. We further speculate that the location of the ventral larynx representation is in premotor cortex, as seen in other primates. It remains unclear, however, whether and how these two representations differentially contribute to laryngeal motor control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Eichert
- Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain (FMRIB), Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Daniel Papp
- Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain (FMRIB), Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Rogier B. Mars
- Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain (FMRIB), Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Kate E. Watkins
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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