Characteristics of Movement of the Lips, Tongue and Velum during a Bilabial Plosive

Tongue movement during articulation in magnetic resonance imaging: Findings in 20 healthy volunteers and a patient with anterior floor of the mouth squamous cell carcinoma

PURPOSE

Combined ablative and reconstructive oral maxillofacial surgery involves a multitude of anatomical and functional structures for speech and swallowing. Although there are a few methods to objectively examine swallowing function, this is not true for speech. We describe the development of an objective visualization and measurement tool for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to evaluate speech and its first application in a patient.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A total of 20 healthy patients and one patient with squamous cell carcinoma localized in the anterior floor of the mouth were included in the study. Examination included an MRI examination of a paced, defined set of fictive words representing all sounds of the German language. The patient underwent MRI preoperatively and 1, 3, 6 and 12 months postoperatively. MRI findings were correlated with speech intelligibility.

RESULTS

In sagittal planes, the correct identification of vowels and consonants was feasible and showed a high accordance between two independent observers and repetitions. Measurements for the patient showed significant deviations 1 month postoperatively but gradually decreased over time. Aberrant values were persistent for sound /s/. Findings correlated with clinical findings of speech intelligibility.

CONCLUSION

The presented tool seems to be promising for evaluating articulation in (tumor) patients.

Sequential Approach-Avoidance Movements

Abstract. The affective consequences of sequential approach-avoidance movements in the mouth were investigated. Participants (total N = 872) received words for which consonantal stricture spots either wandered first-inward-then-outward (e.g., FOLOKOLOF; approach-avoidance) or first-outward-then-inward (e.g., KOLOFOLOK; avoidance-approach) in the mouth. In a pilot study, it was established that first-inward-then-outward (first-outward-then-inward) is associated with negative disgust (positive ingestion) reactions (Experiment 1). Approach-avoidance sequences were preferred less than avoidance-approach sequences (Experiments 2a–3b); and this effect disappeared under oral motor-interference (Experiment 4). Experiment 5 provides evidence that a mere recency effect is an unlikely explanation for these effects. Thus, sequentially executed oral approach and avoidance movements do not cancel each other out but jointly influence resulting affective responses.

What's in and what's out in branding? A novel articulation effect for brand names

The present approach exploits the biomechanical connection between articulation and ingestion-related mouth movements to introduce a novel psychological principle of brand name design. We constructed brand names for diverse products with consonantal stricture spots either from the front to the rear of the mouth, thus inwards (e.g., BODIKA), or from the rear to the front, thus outwards (e.g., KODIBA). These muscle dynamics resemble the oral kinematics during either ingestion (inwards), which feels positive, or expectoration (outwards), which feels negative. In 7 experiments (total N = 1261), participants liked products with inward names more than products with outward names (Experiment 1), reported higher purchase intentions (Experiment 2), and higher willingness-to-pay (Experiments 3a–3c, 4, 5), with the price gain amounting to 4–13% of the average estimated product value. These effects occurred across English and German language, under silent reading, for both edible and non-edible products, and even in the presence of a much stronger price determinant, namely fair-trade production (Experiment 5).

Use of an advanced 3-T MRI movie to investigate articulation

OBJECTIVE

To develop a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) movie to reveal the dynamic movement of articulators and teeth.

STUDY DESIGN

Five healthy females with normal occlusion participated in this study. Various concentrations of MRI contrast media (ferric ammonium citrate [FAC]) were tested for visualization of teeth, according to facial markers and with the use of a gel. Custom-made circuitry was connected to synchronize pronunciation of fricative sounds (/asa/) with scans. Three gradient echo sequences (True fast imaging with steady state precession [true FISP], FISP, and fast low angle shot [FLASH]) with a segmented cine were tested with the use of repetition times (TRs) of 9 ms and 31.5 ms. The MRI movie images were superimposed over the boundaries of teeth. The images produced during pronunciation, using the two different TRs (9 ms and 31 ms), were compared to assess the position of the lips and the tongue.

RESULTS

Images obtained using the FLASH sequence, with a TR of 9 ms or 31.5 ms, can be used for diagnostic purposes. A TR of 9 ms, with 161 continuous images acquired, produced the highest-quality images of teeth, with few artifacts present. Pronunciation of the consonant "s" was clearly discernable.

CONCLUSIONS

Our 3-T MRI movie system, with a temporal resolution less than 9 ms, can provide detailed information pertaining to variations in speech or oropharyngeal function.

Differential articulatory movements during Japanese /s/ and /t/ as revealed by MR image sequences with tooth visualization

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the spatio-temporal relationships between articulators in the anterior oral cavity, during the production of Japanese fricative and plosive articulation using our proposed method for tooth visualization in MR image sequences.

DESIGN

Ten healthy adults without malocclusion participated in the study. Customized maxillary and mandibular plates with space around the central incisors that was to be filled with MR-compatible contrast medium were made. During image-acquisition by a cine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique, the subjects repeated vowel-consonant-vowel syllables (/asa/ and /ata/) without wearing the plates. The subjects then wore the plates for tooth imaging. All data were acquired in the midsagittal plane. Tooth boundaries were superimposed using landmarks. Several parameters and spatio-temporal changes in the centre of gravity (CoG) of the tongue were measured.

RESULTS

During /t/, the duration and amount of tongue-to-palate/incisor contact were significantly greater and the radius of the inscribed circle between the tongue-maxillary incisor-mandibular incisor was significantly shorter than those during /s/. /t/ also had a more anteriorly located CoG of the tongue than /s/ during maximum constriction. The spatio-temporal changes in the CoG of the tongue were significantly different between /asa/ and /ata/.

CONCLUSIONS

We conclude that increased tongue-to-palate/incisor contact and greater anterior closure are necessary for the production of Japanese /t/ compared to /s/. With the use of this new method for tooth visualization in MR image sequences, it should be possible to evaluate the interaction of teeth and other articulators during speech.

MRI with synchronized audio to evaluate velopharyngeal insufficiency

OBJECTIVE

To demonstrate the feasibility of simultaneous-acquired magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and high-quality synchronized audio recording for evaluating velopharyngeal closure.

DESIGN

Institutional Review Board-approved case series.

SETTING

Tertiary care hospital.

PATIENTS

Three healthy adult volunteers with a normal speech pattern.

INTERVENTIONS

MRI with simultaneous recorded audio files evaluating velopharyngeal closure.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE

Precise imaging and audio coordination of specific phonatory tasks.

RESULTS

Synchronization of MRI and audio in all three adults.

CONCLUSION

Our novel imaging and audio protocol provides simultaneous acquired MRI with synchronized high quality audio for evaluating velopharyngeal closure. This technique may provide the opportunity to improve diagnosis and surgical planning in patients with velopharyngeal insufficiency.

Application of MRI movie for observation of articulatory movement during a fricative /s/ and a plosive /t/

OBJECTIVE

To use an accurate method of tooth visualization in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) movie for the observation of spatio-temporal relationships among articulators.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The subjects were two volunteers. Each subject repeated a vowel-consonant-vowel syllable (ie, /asa/; /ata/), and the run was measured using a gradient echo sequence. A custom-made clear retainer filled with the jelly form of ferric ammonium citrate was then fit onto the dental arch, and a T1-weighted turbo-spin-echo sequence was taken. Landmarks were used for superimposition of the incisor boundary onto sequential images of MRI movie. Tracings were conducted to observe the spatio-temporal relationships among articulators.

RESULTS

The incisor boundary was clearly visible in the magnetic resonance images. After superimposition, the contact distance of the tongue to palate/incisor was found to be longer during /t/-articulation than during /s/-articulation. There were prominent differences in images with and without tooth superimposition in the front oral cavity.

CONCLUSIONS

The method could distinctly extract a tooth boundary in MRI. Detailed configurational relationships between the tongue and tooth were observed during the production of a fricative and a plosive in MRI movie using this method.

Faster dynamic imaging of speech with field inhomogeneity corrected spiral fast low angle shot (FLASH) at 3 T

PURPOSE

To evaluate the impact of magnetic field inhomogeneity correction on achievable imaging speeds for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of articulating oropharyngeal structures during speech and to determine if sufficient acquisition speed is available for visualizing speech structures with real-time MRI.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We designed a spiral fast low angle shot (FLASH) sequence that combines several acquisition techniques with an advanced image reconstruction approach that includes magnetic field inhomogeneity correction. A simulation study was performed to examine the interaction between imaging speed, image quality, number of spiral shots, and field inhomogeneity correction. Six volunteer subjects were scanned to demonstrate adequate visualization of articulating structures during simple speech samples.

RESULTS

The simulation study confirmed that magnetic field inhomogeneity correction improves the available tradeoff between image quality and speed. Our optimized sequence co-acquires magnetic field maps for image correction and achieves a dynamic imaging rate of 21.4 frames per second, significantly faster than previous studies. Improved visualization of anatomical structures, such as the soft palate, was also seen from the field-corrected reconstructions in data acquired on volunteer subjects producing simple speech samples.

CONCLUSION

Adequate temporal resolution of articulating oropharyngeal structures during speech can be obtained by combining outer volume suppression, multishot spiral imaging, and magnetic field corrected image reconstruction. Correcting for the large, dynamic magnetic field variation in the oropharyngeal cavity improves image quality and allows for higher temporal resolution.

The Mere Exposure Phenomenon: A Lingering Melody by Robert Zajonc

The mere exposure phenomenon (repeated exposure to a stimulus is sufficient to improve attitudes toward that stimulus) is one of the most inspiring phenomena associated with Robert Zajonc’s long and productive career in social psychology. In the first part of this article, Richard Moreland (who was trained by Zajonc in graduate school) describes his own work on exposure and learning, and on the relationships among familiarity, similarity, and attraction in person perception. In the second part, Sascha Topolinski (a recent graduate who never met Zajonc, but found his ideas inspirational) describes his own work concerning embodiment and fluency in the mere exposure effect. Also, several avenues for future research on the mere exposure phenomenon are identified, further demonstrating its continuing relevance to the field.

A expansão rápida da maxila com haas e a fala na fissura labiopalatina transforame

OBJETIVO: verificar os efeitos da Expansão Rápida da Maxila (ERM), com aparelho Haas, na fala do paciente com fissura labiopalatina (FLP) Transforame. MÉTODOS: 12 indivíduos entre sete e 14 anos, sendo seis meninos e seis meninas, divididos em dois grupos. O Grupo 1 (G1), submetido à ERM com protocolo de ativação convencional e, o Grupo 2 (G2), submetido à ERM com protocolo de ativação preconizado por Liou e Tsai (2005) com expansões e constrições alternadas. Realizou-se avaliação da fala, análise acústica com programa Praat e avaliação perceptivo-auditiva por julgadores fonoaudiólogos e leigos. RESULTADOS: a medição dos tempos de emissão das vogais por análise acústica mostrou diferença estatisticamente significante na avaliação pós-ERM da vogal /i/ no G1 e da vogal /a/ no G2. Na avaliação perceptivo-auditiva, não houve diferenças estatisticamente significantes entre os grupos nas avaliações de Nasalidade e Clareza na Articulação, porém, na medida em que os julgadores atribuíram melhora à Nasalidade, também atribuíram melhora à Articulação e, assim também em relação as variáveis "Melhor", "Igual" e "Pior". CONCLUSÃO: a diminuição dos tempos de emissão pós-ERM, indica que o aumento no escape aéreo nasal ocasiona menores tempos de emissão. A análise perceptivo-auditiva mostrou-se um instrumento eficaz de avaliação, havendo concordância entre julgadores leigos e fonoaudiólogos. Essa avaliação indicou também, que na medida em que a nasalidade diminui ocorre maior clareza na articulação.

Combined fMRI and MRI movie in the evaluation of articulation in subjects with and without cleft lip and palate

OBJECTIVE

This study was undertaken to explore the application of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and MRI movies in the evaluation of articulatory function in subjects with and without cleft lip and palate (CLP).

DESIGN

The authors examined brain activation and the dynamic movement of articulators during bilabial and velar plosives using fMRI and MRI movies.

SUBJECTS

Two subjects, one with unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) and one with bilateral cleft lip and palate (BCLP), and 12 non-CLP volunteers.

RESULTS

Activation foci were found in the precentral gyrus, thalamus, and cerebellum in non-CLP volunteers. In comparison, similar regions were activated in the UCLP subject during both plosives, whereas the regions activated in the BCLP subject were different, particularly during the velar plosive. The dynamic movement of articulators in the UCLP subject was comparable to that in a non-CLP volunteer but different from that in the BCLP subject.

CONCLUSIONS

The results suggest that these two MRI modalities may be a promising evaluation methodology for articulatory function in CLP from central and peripheral perspectives.