Monthly Archives: July 2011
Aerodynamic Evaluation of the Postthyroidectomy Voice
Conclusions
Aerodynamic assessment did not reveal systematic changes in vocal function associated with thyroidectomy, although PTP decreased postoperatively for both surgical groups. This may be attributable in part to a learning effect or to postoperative reductions in F0 range.
from the Journal of Voice
The occurrence of velopharyngeal insufficiency in Pierre Robin Sequence patients
Conclusion
Our findings suggest that children born with a Pierre-Robin Sequence do not have a higher rate of post-operative VPI after cleft palate repair and are no more likely to require additional surgical intervention.
from the International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology
Abbott announces research confirming presence of lutein in key regions of the infant brain
Preliminary new research(1) demonstrates for the first time that lutein, an important phytonutrient (plant-based nutrient) that supports eye health, is the predominant carotenoid present in key areas of the infant brain, including areas that regulate overall brain function, cognition, vision, hearing and speech. This new research, supported by Abbott, was presented by Elizabeth Johnson, PhD, a scientist in the Carotenoids and Health Laboratory at Tufts University, at the 16th International Symposium on Carotenoids, in Krakow, Poland.
from News-Medical.net
Unplanned Babies Develop Vocabulary, Non-Verbal And Spatial Abilities More Slowly
Children of unplanned pregnancies are more likely to have poorer vocabulary, spatial and non-verbal abilities compared to other kids, researchers reported in the BMJ (British Medical Journal). In the majority of cases it is caused by the child being in disadvantaged circumstances.
Aphasia Assessment Materials available online
Included are:
- The Multimodal Communication Screening Task for Persons with Aphasia: Picture Stimulus Booklet
- The Multimodal Communication Screening Task for Persons with Aphasia: Scoresheet and Instructions
- Scanning/Visual Field/Print Size/Attention Screening Task
- Aphasia Needs Assessment
- AAC-Aphasia Categories of Communicators Checklist
Engineers Develop One-Way Transmission System for Sound Waves
Researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have now created the first tunable acoustic diode-a device that allows acoustic information to travel only in one direction, at controllable frequencies.
from ScienceDaily.com
What birds have to say about language
Controversy surrounds the suggestion that recursion is a uniquely human computational ability that enables language. A study now finds this ability in a songbird and takes steps toward a model system for syntactic competence.
from Nature Neuroscience
New study shows Transcendental Meditation improves brain functioning in ADHD students
A random-assignment controlled study published today in Mind & Brain, The Journal of Psychiatry (Vol 2, No 1) found improved brain functioning and decreased symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, ADHD, in students practicing the Transcendental Meditation® (TM) technique. The paper, ADHD, Brain Functioning, and Transcendental Meditation Practice, is the second published study demonstrating TM’s ability to help students with attention-related difficulties.
from EurekAlert.org
Effect of musical experience on verbal memory in Williams syndrome: Evidence from a novel word learning task
Williams syndrome (WS) is a neurogenetic developmental disorder characterized by an increased affinity for music, deficits in verbal memory, and atypical brain development. Music has been shown to improve verbal memory in typical individuals as well as those with learning difficulties, but no studies have examined this relationship in WS. The aim of our two studies was to examine whether music can enhance verbal memory in individuals with WS. In Study 1, we presented a memory task of eight spoken or sung sentences that described an animal and identified its group name to 38 individuals with WS. Study 2, involving another group of individuals with WS (n = 38), included six spoken or sung sentences that identified an animal group name. In both studies, those who had participated in formal music lessons scored significantly better on the verbal memory task when the sentences were sung than when they were spoken. Those who had not taken formal lessons showed no such benefit. We also found that increased enjoyment of music and heightened emotional reactions to music did not impact performance on the memory task. These compelling findings provide the first evidence that musical experience may enhance verbal memory in individuals with WS and shed more light on the complex relationship between aspects of cognition and altered neurodevelopment in this unique disorder.
from Neuropsychologia
Dual-channel spectral subtraction algorithms based speech enhancement dedicated to a bilateral cochlear implant
In this paper, two speech enhancement algorithms (SEAs) based on spectral subtraction (SS) principle have been evaluated for bilateral cochlear implant (BCI) users. Specifically, dual-channel noise power spectral estimation algorithm using power spectral densities (PSD) and cross power spectral density (CPSD) of the observed signals was studied. The enhanced speech signals were obtained using either Dual Channel Non Linear Spectral Subtraction ‘DC-NLSS’ or Dual-Channel Multi-Band Spectral Subtraction ‘DC-MBSS’ algorithms. For performance evaluation, some objective speech assessment tests relying on Perceptual Evaluation of Speech Quality (PESQ) score and speech Itakura-Saito (IS) distortion measurement were performed to fix the optimal number of frequency band needed in DC-MBSS algorithm. In order to evaluate the speech intelligibility, subjective listening tests were assessed with 50 normal hearing listeners using a specific BCI simulator and with three deafened BCI patients. Experimental results, obtained using French Lafon database corrupted by an additive babble noise at different Signal-to-Noise Ratios (SNR), showed that DC-MBSS algorithm improves speech understanding better than DC-NLSS algorithm for single and multiple interfering noise sources.
from Applied Acoustics
Meaning and the brain: The neurosemantics of referential, interactive, and combinatorial knowledge
Which types of nerve cell circuits enable humans to use and understand meaningful signs and words? Philosophers were the first to point out that the arbitrary links between signs and their meanings differ fundamentally between semantic word types. Neuroscience provided evidence that semantic kinds do indeed matter: Brain diseases affect specific semantic categories and leave others relatively intact. Patterns of precisely timed brain activation in specific areas of cortex reflect the comprehension of words with specific semantic features. The classic referential link between words and the objects they are used to speak about can be understood as a result of associative learning driven by correlated neuronal activity in perisylvian language areas and sensory, especially higher visual but also olfactory, somatosensory and auditory, areas. However, the meaning of words used to speak about actions calls for a different account. For learning their meaning, specific action and interaction contexts are critical, and neuronal links between language and action systems of the human brain likely store such action-semantic information. In fact, after learning, the action system is sparked when such words and utterances are being used or understood, and, correspondingly, functional changes in the brain’s motor system influence the recognition of action-related expressions. These results show that language is “woven into action” at the level of the brain. Word-object, word–action and word-word contexts are discussed in view of further facets of semantics and their brain basis, including emotional-affective, abstract and combinatorial aspects of meaning. All of these aspects and corresponding neuronal circuit types interact in the processing of the meaning of words and sentences in the human mind and brain.
from the Journal of Neurolinguistics
The use of the Bilingual Aphasia Test with a bilingual Mandarin–New Zealand English speaker with aphasia
This is a single case study of a 74 year old bilingual Mandarin–New Zealand English speaking man with aphasia. We compare his language ability on the Bilingual Aphasia Test with norms for New Zealand English speakers and the original BAT norms. There is a large and growing population of Chinese in New Zealand. The impact of communication disorders in this group has been minimally investigated in the literature. We investigate the linguistic and psychosocial consequences of living with bilingual aphasia.
from the Journal of Neurolinguistics
Cytoarchitectonic Characteristics of the Speech Motor Fields of the Cortex in Men and Women
The cytoarchitectonics of the speech motor cortical fields 44 and 45 in the left and right hemispheres were studied in men and women. Serial frontal sections stained with cresyl violet by the Nissl method were examined. The areas of neuron profiles were measured in layer III, along with its thickness and the crosssectional thickness of the cortex. There were no significant differences in these parameters between men and women. However, there were tendencies to larger values in men than in women in the left hemisphere of the brain and in women than in men in the right hemisphere.
Auditory processing disorder: School psychologist beware?
An increasing number of students are being diagnosed with auditory processing disorder (APD), but the school psychology literature has largely neglected this controversial condition. This article reviews research on APD, revealing substantial concerns with assessment tools and diagnostic practices, as well as insufficient research regarding many claims about APD, including claims about popular interventions for the condition. Also discussed are the relationships between APD and other high-incidence disability conditions that school psychologists work with frequently. The article concludes with concrete recommendations for school psychologists when faced with students who are referred for symptoms of APD, as well as strategies for determining services for students who present with an APD diagnosis. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
