A modular architecture for articulatory synthesis from gestural specification.

This paper proposes a modular architecture for articulatory synthesis from a gestural specification comprising relatively simple models for the vocal tract, the glottis, aero-acoustics, and articulatory control. The vocal tract module combines a midsagittal statistical analysis articulatory model, derived by factor analysis of air-tissue boundaries in real-time magnetic resonance imaging data, with an αβ model for converting midsagittal section to area function specifications. The aero-acoustics and glottis models were based on a software implementation of classic work by Maeda.

Cross-Modal Coordination of Face-Directed Gaze and Emotional Speech Production in School-Aged Children and Adolescents with ASD.

Autism spectrum disorder involves persistent difficulties in social communication. Although these difficulties affect both verbal and nonverbal communication, there are no quantitative behavioral studies to date investigating the cross-modal coordination of verbal and nonverbal communication in autism. The objective of the present study was to characterize the dynamic relation between speech production and facial expression in children with autism and to establish how face-directed gaze modulates this cross-modal coordination.

Task-dependence of articulator synergies.

In speech production, the motor system organizes articulators such as the jaw, tongue, and lips into synergies whose function is to produce speech sounds by forming constrictions at the phonetic places of articulation. The present study tests whether synergies for different constriction tasks differ in terms of inter-articulator coordination. The test is conducted on utterances [ɑpɑ], [ɑtɑ], [ɑiɑ], and [ɑkɑ] with a real-time magnetic resonance imaging biomarker that is computed using a statistical model of the forward kinematics of the vocal tract.

Test-retest repeatability of human speech biomarkers from static and real-time dynamic magnetic resonance imaging.

Static anatomical and real-time dynamic magnetic resonance imaging (RT-MRI) of the upper airway is a valuable method for studying speech production in research and clinical settings. The test-retest repeatability of quantitative imaging biomarkers is an important parameter, since it limits the effect sizes and intragroup differences that can be studied. Therefore, this study aims to present a framework for determining the test-retest repeatability of quantitative speech biomarkers from static MRI and RT-MRI, and apply the framework to healthy volunteers.