Phonological, orthographic and morphological skills are related to structural properties of ventral and motor white matter pathways in skilled and impaired readers.

Using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), we assessed the extent to which fractional anisotropy values in the dorsal (i.e., arcuate fasciculus; AF) versus ventral (i.

An investigation of white matter properties as they relate to spelling behaviour in skilled and impaired readers.

Results: While the inferior longitudinal fasciculus was more strongly related to spelling behaviour in skilled adults, the uncinate fasciculus was more strongly related to spelling behaviour in impaired adults. We found strong left lateralization of the arcuate fasciculus and inferior longitudinal fasciculus in both groups. However, lateralization of the inferior frontal occipital fasciculus was more strongly related to spelling response time behaviour in skilled adults, whereas lateralization of the uncinate fasciculus was more strongly related to spelling accuracy behaviour in the impaired adults.

From lollipops to lidocaine: The need for a universal print-to-speech framework.

Objective: There is a strong relationship between reading and articulation (Lervåg & Hulme, 2009; Pan et al., 2011). Given the tight coupling of these processes, innovative approaches are needed to understand the intricacies associated with print-speech connections.

Changes in Intermuscular Coherence as a Function of Age and Phase of Speech Production During an Overt Reading Task.

Purpose: The authors evaluated changes in intermuscular coherence (IMC) of orofacial and speech breathing muscles across phase of speech production in healthy younger and older adults.

Method: Sixty adults (30 younger = M: 26.97 year; 30 older = M: 66.

Effects of an intensive voice treatment on articulatory function and speech intelligibility in children with motor speech disorders: A phase one study.

Producing speech that is clear, audible, and intelligible to others is a challenge for many children with cerebral palsy (CP) and children with Down syndrome (DS). Previous studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of using the Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT LOUD®) to increase vocal loudness and improve speech intelligibility in individuals with dysarthria secondary to Parkinson's disease (PD), and some research suggests that it also may be effective for individuals with dysarthria secondary to other conditions, including CP and DS. Although LSVT LOUD targets healthy vocal loudness, there is some evidence of spreading effects to the articulatory system.

Changes in White Matter Integrity following Intensive Voice Treatment (LSVT LOUD®) in Children with Cerebral Palsy and Motor Speech Disorders.

Preliminary evidence suggests that intensive voice and speech treatment based on activity-dependent neuroplasticity principles holds promise for affecting positive change in children with cerebral palsy (CP) and motor speech disorders. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) allows researchers to make inferences about the integrity of white matter tracks and provides a sensitive measure of neuroplasticity. Previous treatment studies looking at the effects of training on white matter integrity have shown positive results, but these studies have been limited to gross motor function.

Changes in brain activity following intensive voice treatment in children with cerebral palsy.

Eight children (3 females; 8-16 years) with motor speech disorders secondary to cerebral palsy underwent 4 weeks of an intensive neuroplasticity-principled voice treatment protocol, LSVT LOUD , followed by a structured 12-week maintenance program. Children were asked to overtly produce phonation (ah) at conversational loudness, cued-phonation at perceived twice-conversational loudness, a series of single words, and a prosodic imitation task while being scanned using fMRI, immediately pre- and post-treatment and 12 weeks following a maintenance program. Eight age- and sex-matched controls were scanned at each of the same three time points.