Rise Time Perception, Phonological Processing, and Reading in Brazilian Portuguese-Speaking Schoolchildren.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Studies of people with dyslexia have pointed to the ability to perceive the amplitude envelope rise time ("beat" perception) as a possible cause of phonological processing (PhP) difficulties in this population. However, there are very few studies about the relationships between such skills in the non-dyslexic school population. METHODS: We investigated the influence of the beat perception ability on PhP and reading skills of 93 Brazilian Portuguese-speaking schoolchildren from the 3rd to the 5th year, with data on reading, phonological awareness (PhA), lexical access, phonological operational memory, and perception of amplitude envelope rise time. To verify the possible effects of age, gender, and school grade on the tasks in the study, we directly included these variables in the models. RESULTS: Modeling structural equations showed that beat perception did not influence PhP or reading skills, but only the tasks of repetition of words and pseudowords. These tasks may be related because of the demand for phonological working memory necessary to perform the beat perception task rather than a possible connection between this and phonological abilities, as reported in the literature. CONCLUSION: We suspect beat perception could be of relevance only for subjects with altered reading and/or a deficit in PhP. Further studies will indicate whether the rise time of the amplitude envelope is an essential acoustic clue only for those individuals whose PhA ability is not fully present.

Do Acoustic Characteristics of Dysarthria in People With Parkinson's Disease Differ Across Languages?

PURPOSE: Cross-language studies suggest more similarities than differences in how dysarthria affects the speech of people with Parkinson's disease (PwPD) who speak different languages. In this study, we aimed to identify the relative contribution of acoustic variables to distinguish PwPD from controls who spoke varieties of two Romance languages, French and Portuguese. METHOD: This bi-national, cross-sectional, and case-controlled study included 129 PwPD and 124 healthy controls who spoke French or Portuguese. All participants underwent the same clinical examinations, voice/speech recordings, and self-assessment questionnaires. PwPD were evaluated off and on optimal medication. Inferential analyses included Disease (controls vs. PwPD) and Language (French vs. Portuguese) as factors, and random decision forest algorithms identified relevant acoustic variables able to distinguish participants: (a) by language (French vs. Portuguese) and (b) by clinical status (PwPD on and off medication vs. controls). RESULTS: French-speaking and Portuguese-speaking individuals were distinguished from each other with over 90% accuracy by five acoustic variables (the mean fundamental frequency and the shimmer of the sustained vowel /a/ production, the oral diadochokinesis performance index, the relative sound level pressure and the relative sound pressure level standard deviation of the text reading). A distinct set of parameters discriminated between controls and PwPD: for men, maximum phonation time and the oral diadochokinesis speech proportion were the most significant variables; for women, variables calculated from the oral diadochokinesis were the most discriminative. CONCLUSIONS: Acoustic variables related to phonation and voice quality distinguished between speakers of the two languages. Variables related to pneumophonic coordination and articulation rate were the more effective in distinguishing PwPD from controls. Thus, our research findings support that respiration and diadochokinesis tasks appear to be the most appropriate to pinpoint signs of dysarthria, which are largely homogeneous and language-universal. In contrast, identifying language-specific variables with the speech tasks and acoustic variables studied was less conclusive.

Articulatory speech measures can be related to the severity of multiple sclerosis.

Background: Dysarthria is one of the most frequent communication disorders in patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), with an estimated prevalence of around 50%. However, it is unclear if there is a relationship between dysarthria and the severity or duration of the disease. Objective: Describe the speech pattern in MS, correlate with clinical data, and compare with controls. Methods: A group of MS patients (n = 73) matched to healthy controls (n = 37) by sex and age. Individuals with neurological and/or systemic conditions that could interfere with speech were excluded. MS group clinical data were obtained through the analysis of medical records. The speech assessment consisted of auditory-perceptual and speech acoustic analysis, from recording the following speech tasks: phonation and breathing (sustained vowel/a/); prosody (sentences with different intonation patterns) and articulation (diadochokinesis; spontaneous speech; diphthong/iu/repeatedly). Results: In MS, 72.6% of the individuals presented mild dysarthria, with alterations in speech subsystems: phonation, breathing, resonance, and articulation. In the acoustic analysis, individuals with MS were significantly worse than the control group (CG) in the variables: standard deviation of the fundamental frequency (p = 0.001) and maximum phonation time (p = 0.041). In diadochokinesis, individuals with MS had a lower number of syllables, duration, and phonation time, but larger pauses per seconds, and in spontaneous speech, a high number of pauses were evidenced as compared to CG. Correlations were found between phonation time in spontaneous speech and the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) (r = - 0.238, p = 0.043) and phonation ratio in spontaneous speech and EDSS (r = -0.265, p = 0.023), which indicates a correlation between the number of pauses during spontaneous speech and the severity of the disease. Conclusion: The speech profile in MS patients was mild dysarthria, with a decline in the phonatory, respiratory, resonant, and articulatory subsystems of speech, respectively, in order of prevalence. The increased number of pauses during speech and lower rates of phonation ratio can reflect the severity of MS.

Differences in spontaneous speech fluency between Parkinson's disease and spinocerebellar ataxia type 3.

Background: The basal ganglia and cerebellum both have a role in speech production although the effect of isolated involvement of these structures on speech fluency remains unclear. Objective: The study aimed to assess the differences in the articulatory pattern in patients with cerebellar vs. basal ganglia disorders. Methods: A total of 20 individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD), 20 with spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3), and 40 controls (control group, CG) were included. Diadochokinesis (DDK) and monolog tasks were collected. Results: The only variable that distinguished SCA3 carriers from the CG was the number of syllables in the monolog, with SCA3 patients of a significantly lower number. For patients with PD, the number of syllables, phonation time, DDK, and monolog were significantly lower than for CG. Patients with PD were significantly worse compared to patients with SCA3 in the number of syllables and phonation time in DDK, and phonation time in monolog. Additionally, there was a significant correlation between the number of syllables in the monolog and the MDS-UPDRS III for participants with PD, and the Friedreich Ataxia Rating Scale for participants with SCA3 suggesting a relationship between speech and general motor functioning. Conclusion: The monolog task is better at discriminating individuals with cerebellar vs. Parkinson's diseases as well as differentiating healthy control and was related to the severity of the disease.

Dysarthria in hereditary spastic paraplegia type 4.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the speech pattern of patients with hereditary Spastic Paraplegia type 4 (SPG4) and correlated it with their clinical data. METHODS: Cross-sectional study was carried out in two university hospitals in Brazil. Two groups participated in the study: the case group (n = 28) with a confirmed genetic diagnosis for SPG4 and a control group (n = 17) matched for sex and age. The speech assessment of both groups included: speech task recording, acoustic analysis, and auditory-perceptual analysis. In addition, disease severity was assessed with the Spastic Paraplegia Rating Scale (SPRS). RESULTS: In the auditory-perceptual analysis, 53.5% (n = 15) of individuals with SPG4 were dysarthric, with mild to moderate changes in the subsystems of phonation and articulation. On acoustic analysis, SPG4 subjects' performances were worse in measurements related to breathing (maximum phonation time) and articulation (speech rate, articulation rate). The articulation variables (speech rate, articulation rate) are related to the age of onset of the first motor symptom. CONCLUSION: Dysarthria in SPG4 is frequent and mild, and it did not evolve in conjunction with more advanced motor diseases. This data suggest that diagnosed patients should be screened and referred for speech therapy evaluation and those pathophysiological mechanisms of speech involvement may differ from the length-dependent degeneration of the corticospinal tract.

Long-latency event-related responses to vowels: N1-P2 decomposition by two-step principal component analysis.

The N1-P2 complex of the auditory event-related potential (ERP) has been used to examine neural activity associated with speech sound perception. Since it is thought to reflect multiple generator processes, its functional significance is difficult to infer. In the present study, a temporospatial principal component analysis (PCA) was used to decompose the N1-P2 response into latent factors underlying covariance patterns in ERP data recorded during passive listening to pairs of successive vowels. In each trial, one of six sounds drawn from an /i/-/e/ vowel continuum was followed either by an identical sound, a different token of the same vowel category, or a token from the other category. Responses were examined as to how they were modulated by within- and across-category vowel differences and by adaptation (repetition suppression) effects. Five PCA factors were identified as corresponding to three well-known N1 subcomponents and two P2 subcomponents. Results added evidence that the N1 peak reflects both generators that are sensitive to spectral information and generators that are not. For later latency ranges, different patterns of sensitivity to vowel quality were found, including category-related effects. Particularly, a subcomponent identified as the Tb wave showed release from adaptation in response to an /i/ followed by an /e/ sound. A P2 subcomponent varied linearly with spectral shape along the vowel continuum, while the other was stronger the closer the vowel was to the category boundary, suggesting separate processing of continuous and category-related information. Thus, the PCA-based decomposition of the N1-P2 complex was functionally meaningful, revealing distinct underlying processes at work during speech sound perception.

Did the speech of patients with Myasthenia Gravis decline over 4 years? / Há declínio na fala de pacientes com Miastenia Gravis ao longo de 4 anos?

ABSTRACT Purpose To compare the speech and voice patterns of myasthenia gravis (MG) patients over four years, and correlate the results with clinical aspects of the disease. Methods Data was collected for 4 years. The clinical assessment tools included the Quantitative Myasthenia Gravis (QMG) score, the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America (MGFA) clinical classification, and the Myasthenia Gravis Quality of Life 15-item Scale (MG-QoL). To assess speech, the recorded speaking tasks were analyzed acoustically and given auditory-perceptual ratings. Sex (equal distribution) and age (p=0.949) were used as matching criteria in the final sample, which consisted of 10 individuals in the MG group (MGG) and 10 individuals in the control group (CG). Results After 4 years, the MG participants presented stable health status, increased mild and moderate dysarthria (from 40% to 90% of the subjects), and a significant deterioration in the respiration, phonation, and articulation subsystems. The acoustic analysis showed a decline in articulatory patterns (speech rate p=0.047, articulation rate p=0.007, mean syllable duration p=0.007) and vocal quality (increased jitter p=0.022). In the follow-up comparison, there was a significant difference between the phonation variables (shimmer and harmonic-to-noise ratio) of the MGG and CG. Conclusion The MG patients presented a decline in speech over four years and an increase in mild and moderate dysarthria. Despite presenting stable health status, their respiratory, phonatory, and articulatory subsystems worsened. There was no correlation between speech patterns and clinical characteristics of the disease (severity and motor scale).

RESUMO Objetivo Comparar o padrão de fala e voz de indivíduos com Miastenia Gravis (MG) em um intervalo de quatro anos e correlacionar com aspectos clínicos da doença. Método A coleta de dados foi realizada ao longo de 4 anos. A avaliação clínica foi composta pelo Quantitative Myasthenia Gravis Score (QMGS), pela Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America Classification (MGFA) e pela escala de qualidade de vida para Miastenia Gravis (MG-QOL). A avaliação da fala foi composta por gravação de tarefas, análise perceptivo-auditiva e análise acústica. A amostra final foi composta por 10 indivíduos em MG e 10 indivíduos no grupo controle (GC), pareados por sexo (distribuição igualitária) e idade (p=0,949). Resultados Após 4 anos, os indivíduos com MG apresentaram estabilidade clínica, aumento do diagnóstico de disartria leve e moderada (de 40% para 90% dos sujeitos) e diminuição significativa no desempenho dos subsistemas da fala: respiração, fonação e articulação. Na análise acústica, houve declínio do padrão articulatório (taxa de fala p=0,047, taxa de articulação p=0,007, duração média das sílabas p=0,007) e qualidade vocal (jitter aumentado p=0,022). Houve diferença significativa nas variáveis fonatórias (shimmer e harmonic-to-noise ratio) entre os grupos MG e GC na comparação do seguimento. Conclusão Indivíduos com MG apresentaram declínio no padrão de fala em um intervalo de quatro anos, com aumento no número de disártricos (leve e moderado). Mesmo com a estabilidade da doença, houve piora dos subsistemas respiratório, fonatório e articulatório. Não houve correlação entre o padrão de fala e as características clínicas da doença (gravidade e escala motora).

Dysarthria in hereditary spastic paraplegia type 4

Abstract Objective: To describe the speech pattern of patients with hereditary Spastic Paraplegia type 4 (SPG4) and correlated it with their clinical data. Methods: Cross-sectional study was carried out in two university hospitals in Brazil. Two groups participated in the study: the case group (n = 28) with a confirmed genetic diagnosis for SPG4 and a control group (n = 17) matched for sex and age. The speech assessment of both groups included: speech task recording, acoustic analysis, and auditory-perceptual analysis. In addition, disease severity was assessed with the Spastic Paraplegia Rating Scale (SPRS). Results: In the auditory-perceptual analysis, 53.5% (n = 15) of individuals with SPG4 were dysarthric, with mild to moderate changes in the subsystems of phonation and articulation. On acoustic analysis, SPG4 subjects' performances were worse in measurements related to breathing (maximum phonation time) and articulation (speech rate, articulation rate). The articulation variables (speech rate, articulation rate) are related to the age of onset of the first motor symptom. Conclusion: Dysarthria in SPG4 is frequent and mild, and it did not evolve in conjunction with more advanced motor diseases. This data suggest that diagnosed patients should be screened and referred for speech therapy evaluation and those pathophysiological mechanisms of speech involvement may differ from the length-dependent degeneration of the corticospinal tract.

N1 response attenuation and the mismatch negativity (MMN) to within- and across-category phonetic contrasts.

According to the neural adaptation model of the mismatch negativity (MMN), the sensitivity of this event-related response to both acoustic and categorical information in speech sounds can be accounted for by assuming that (a) the degree of overlapping between neural representations of two sounds depends on both the acoustic difference between them and whether or not they belong to distinct phonetic categories, and (b) a release from stimulus-specific adaptation causes an enhanced N1 obligatory response to infrequent deviant stimuli. On the basis of this view, we tested in Experiment 1 whether the N1 response to the second sound of a pair (S2 ) would be more attenuated in pairs of identical vowels compared with pairs of different vowels, and in pairs of exemplars of the same vowel category compared with pairs of exemplars of different categories. The psychoacoustic distance between S1 and S2 was the same for all within-category and across-category pairs. While N1 amplitudes decreased markedly from S1 to S2 , responses to S2 were quite similar across pair types, indicating that the attenuation effect in such conditions is not stimulus specific. In Experiment 2, a pronounced MMN was elicited by a deviant vowel sound in an across-category oddball sequence, but not when the exact same deviant vowel was presented in a within-category oddball sequence. This adds evidence that MMN reflects categorical phonetic processing. Taken together, the results suggest that different neural processes underlie the attenuation of the N1 response to S2 and the MMN to vowels.

Individual differences in typing: pause length.

An analysis of pause distribution for 12 subjects on a controlled copying task suggests that pause-based measures used to assess writing processes should reflect individual differences in typing.

Confusões perceptivas entre consoantes do Português Brasileiro em função do ruído / Perceptual confusions among consonants in Brazilian Portuguese as a function of noise

Objetivo: (a) Verificar se o comportamento do indivíduo, na percepção de consoantes em meio a diferentes ruídos, está ligado diretamente ao modo como os sons são mentalmente representados; (b) Verificar se há relação entre similaridade fonológica e perceptiva. Métodos: A pesquisa utilizou uma amostra não probabilística, por tipicidade, composta por 11 participantes adultos, com idade entre 20 e 30 anos. Os critérios de inclusão foram: ter idade entre 18 e 30 anos; ler, concordar e assinar o Termo de Consentimento Livre e Esclarecido; apresentar audição periférica e processamento auditivo dentro dos critérios de referência. A coleta de dados aconteceu em duas etapas: 1) Avaliação preliminar: audiometria tonal liminar, imitanciometria, logoaudiometria, teste de fala com ruído e teste dicótico de dígitos; 2) Avaliação da percepção de consoantes, com o objetivo de verificar a correta identificação das consoantes [p], [t], [d], [k], [f], [v], [ʃ] e [ʒ], seguidas da vogal [a], em meio aos ruídos branco e de festa, nas relações sinal ruído igual a 0 e +5 dB (NS). Resultados No ruído branco, em ambas as relações sinal/ruído foram encontradas, em maior número, as confusões: [f]-[p], [ʃ]-[k] e [ʃ]-[ʒ]. No ruído de festa, foram mais encontradas as confusões: [f]-[p], [v]-[p], [v]-[f] e [t]-[d]. Observou-se que, quanto mais traços distintivos as consoantes compartilham, mais elas são confundidas. Conclusão Ruído branco e ruído de festa afetam diretamente a percepção das consoantes, mas de forma diferente, sendo encontrada maior distância perceptiva entre consoantes no ruído de festa. Assim, as confusões entre consoantes parecem sofrer maior influência ...

Purpose (a) to determine whether an individual’s behavior, in the perception of consonants in different noise conditions, is directly related to how these sounds are represented in the mind, (b) to determine whether there is a relationship between phonological and perceptual similarity. Methods The study used a non-probability sample based on typicality, with participation of eleven adults, aged between twenty and thirty years. The inclusion criteria were: age between eighteen and thirty years; to read, agree and sign the Free and Cleared Term of Consent; to present peripheral hearing and auditory processing within the reference criteria. The data were collected in two stages: 1) Preliminary evaluation consisting of the following tests: pure tone audiometry, tympanometry, speech audiometry and speech test in noise and dichotic digits test, 2) Evaluation of the auditory perception of the consonants [p], [t], [d], [k], [f], [v], [ʃ] and [ʒ] followed by the vowel [a], under white noise or cocktail party noise in the signal/noise ratio of 0 and +5 dB (NS). Results Under white noise, in both signal/noise ratios, there was more confusion between the consonants [f]-[p], [ʃ]-[k] and [ʃ]-[ʒ]. Under cocktail party noise, there was more confusion between the consonants [f]-[p], [v]-[p], [v]-[f] and [t]-[d]. It was observed that consonants that share more distinctive features are more confusing. Conclusion The white noise and the cocktail party noise directly affect the perception of the consonants, but in different ways, and a larger perceptive distance is found among consonants under cocktail party noise. Therefore, the confusions among consonants seem to be more influenced by their acoustic rather than their phonological characteristics. .

Purpose (a) to determine whether an individual’s behavior, in the perception of consonants in different noise conditions, is directly related to how these sounds are represented in the mind, (b) to determine whether there is a relationship between phonological and perceptual similarity. Methods The study used a non-probability sample based on typicality, with participation of eleven adults, aged between twenty and thirty years. The inclusion criteria were: age between eighteen and thirty years; to read, agree and sign the Free and Cleared Term of Consent; to present peripheral hearing and auditory processing within the reference criteria. The data were collected in two stages: 1) Preliminary evaluation consisting of the following tests: pure tone audiometry, tympanometry, speech audiometry and speech test in noise and dichotic digits test, 2) Evaluation of the auditory perception of the consonants [p], [t], [d], [k], [f], [v], [ʃ] and [ʒ] followed by the vowel [a], under white noise or cocktail party noise in the signal/noise ratio of 0 and +5 dB (NS). Results Under white noise, in both signal/noise ratios, there was more confusion between the consonants [f]-[p], [ʃ]-[k] and [ʃ]-[ʒ]. Under cocktail party noise, there was more confusion between the consonants [f]-[p], [v]-[p], [v]-[f] and [t]-[d]. It was observed that consonants that share more distinctive features are more confusing. Conclusion The white noise and the cocktail party noise directly affect the perception of the consonants, but in different ways, and a larger perceptive distance is found among consonants under cocktail party noise. Therefore, the confusions among consonants seem to be more influenced by their acoustic rather than their phonological characteristics. .

Tarefas para avaliação psicolinguística no português do Brasil: resultados preliminares / Tasks for psycholinguistic assessment in brazilian portuguese: preliminary results

Objetivo: Este estudo visou ao desenvolvimento e avaliação de consistência interna de tarefas para avaliação de distúrbios da linguagem na abordagem psicolinguística seguindo os critérios da bateria Psycholinguistc Assessment of Language. Métodos: Cinco tarefas de compreensão e quatro de produção de linguagem foram desenvolvidas em português do Brasil e administradas a um grupo clínico com diagnóstico de afasia (n=26) e um grupo controle (n=55). As amostras não foram pareadas, pois o foco recaiu sobre as tarefas. Resultados: Como esperado, o grupo clínico obteve escores significativamente mais baixos, porém consistentes. Conclusões: Ao permitirem discriminar entre os grupos, as tarefas foram adequadas à aplicação em populações com distúrbio de linguagem adquirido. Permitiram ainda, conhecer as habilidades preservadas no grupo clínico, já que os subsistemas linguísticos avaliados por cada tarefa revelaram-se diferentemente comprometidos.

Objective: This study aimed at developing and testing for internal consistency of tasks for the assessment of language disorders based on the psycholinguistic approach following the criteria of the Psycholinguistc Assessment of Language. Methods: Five language comprehension and four language production tasks in Brazilian Portuguese were designed and tested in a clinical group diagnosed as aphasics (n=26) and a control group (n=55). Groups were not paired since the tasks were at stake. Results: As expected, the clinical group scored significantly lower, but with consistent results. Conclusions: Since it discriminated between groups, the tasks were appropriate for use among the population with acquired language impairment. The psycholinguistic subsystems were distinctively impaired within the clinical group, by means of which it is possible to identify the spared language abilities.

Avaliação cognitiva de leitura e escrita: as tarefas de leitura em voz alta e ditado / Cognitive assessment of reading and writing: reading-aloud and spelling tasks

Tarefas de leitura em voz alta e de tomada de ditado de listas de palavra reais e de não-palavras, isoladas, fazem parte de um conjunto de provas maior - o Procedimento de Avaliação Cognitiva da Leitura e da Escrita. Com base em Seymour, Pinheiro desenvolveu um teste experimental que se mostrou adequado para avaliação de leitura e de escrita em crianças mineiras da primeira à quarta série do Ensino Fundamental. O procedimento foi retestado, com sucesso, por Capovilla, Capovilla e Macedo. A partir desses resultados, Pinheiro desenvolve, atualmente, um instrumento computadorizado de avaliação que consiste de tarefas de leitura em voz alta e de tomada de ditado, entre outras. O presente trabalho discute as bases teóricas para a construção das listas de palavras reais e de não-palavras, com ênfase no controle da variável regularidade letra-som/som-letra

Validação da bateria de avaliação da memória de trabalho (BAMT-UFMG) / Validation of a battery for working memory assessment (BAMT-UFMG)

A memória de trabalho pode ser concebida em termos de sistemas de armazenamento ou por meio de modelos processuais ou dinâmicos. Nós adaptamos, para uso com a população brasileira, uma bateria de testes baseada em um modelo que divide a memória de trabalho em três aspectos: eficiência ou velocidade de processamento, armazenamento temporário e coordenação de operações. O exame das características psicométricas do instrumento, aplicado em 832 participantes de diversas faixas etárias e níveis educacionais, revelou sua adequação para uso em nosso meio, preservando as características do procedimento original e mostrando coeficientes aceitáveis de fidedignidade e de validade. O desempenho nos testes se correlacionou com o desempenho em testes de função executiva e de inteligência fluida, mas não se correlacionou com testes de memória associativa episódica. O programa de pesquisa deve continuar com o exame da utilidade clínica da BAMT-UFMG em neuropsicologia