LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 13:11 November 2013
ISSN 1930-2940

Managing Editor: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.
Editors: B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. A. Sharada, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         Lakhan Gusain, Ph.D.
         Jennifer Marie Bayer, Ph.D.
         S. M. Ravichandran, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         L. Ramamoorthy, Ph.D.
         C. Subburaman, Ph.D. (Economics)
Assistant Managing Editor: Swarna Thirumalai, M.A.

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Phonatory Characteristics in Subjects with Focal Cerebellar Lesions
Preliminary Findings

Dr. Vandana.V.P., Ph.D.
Prof. R. Manjula, Ph.D.

Cerebellum is said to be crucial in controlling and maintaining the temporal aspects of any motor act. Temporal regulation by cerebellum may be as precise as a measure in milliseconds (Ivry, 1996). Boutsen & Christman (2002) speculated that the right cerebellar hemisphere is involved in the coordination of supralaryngeal and laryngeal movements as is required for voice onset time and in the maintenance of syllable integrity. They also speculated that left cerebellum is likely to be involved in controlling the tonal aspects of speech over a span of several syllables.

Apart from the observations of Boutsen and Christman (2002), other studies have suggested a distinct acoustic-perceptual process for timing versus pitch characteristics (van Lancker & Sidtis, 1992) associated with the left and the right cortical hemisphere. The ‘Differential cue lateralisation’ hypothesis proposed by van Lancker & Sidtis (1992) contends that acoustic cues to prosody are lateralised to different cerebral hemispheres with fundamental frequency (F0) parameters processed by right cerebral hemisphere and temporal parameters by left cerebral hemisphere in speech production as well as speech perception. Considering the role subserved by the contralateral cerebro-cerebellar connection, the assigned functions of the cerebral hemispheres have a contralateral representation in the cerebellar hemispheres. In this context, Lechtenberg and Gilman (1978) suggest that, given the vast documentation of laterality effects on cerebral-cortical functions for speech, and the ample connections between cerebral and cerebellar hemispheres, laterality should be considered an important factor in cerebellar functions.

Phonatory Dysfunction in Ataxic Dysarthria

Phonatory disturbances are reportedly conspicuous in ataxic dysarthria with nonfocal cerebellar lesions. Perceptual attributes of phonatory dysfunction (Darley et al., 1969a; Gilman & Kluin, 1992) as well as acoustic attributes were described in ataxic dysarthria due to isolated cerebellar disease (Ackermann & Ziegler, 1994), Friedreichs ataxia (Joanette & Dudley, 1980) and spinocerebellar degeneration (Gilman and Kluin, 1992). Phonatory abnormalities commonly described in ataxic dysarthria included monopitch, monoloudness and harshness (Darley et al., 1969a, 1969b); harshness, pitch level and pitch breaks (Joanette & Dudley, 1980) and alternating loudness, fluctuating pitch, transient harshness, transient breathiness, voice tremors and audible inspiration (Gilman & Kluin, 1992). Darley et al., (1975), were of the opinion that although the reported features were solely attributed to phonatory dysfunction; many of them could also partially be the result of dysfunction at other levels of the speech production mechanism (e.g., the respiratory system).

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Dr. Vandana.V.P, Ph.D Corresponding Author
Assistant Professor of Speech Pathology and Audiology
Department of Audiology and Speech Language Pathology
NIMHANS
Bangalore-560029
Karnataka
vpvandana@gmail.com

Prof. R. Manjula, Ph.D.
Senior Professor of Speech Pathology
Department of Speech Pathology
All India Institute of Speech and Hearing
Manasagangothri
Mysore 570 006
Karnataka
India
rmanjula08@gmail.com

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