Dysarthria

About: Dysarthria is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 2402 publications have been published within this topic receiving 56554 citations.

Corticobulbar tract changes as predictors of dysarthria in childhood brain injury

Abstract: Objectives: To identify corticobulbar tract changes that may predict chronic dysarthria in young people who have sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI) in childhood using diffusion MRI tractography. Methods: We collected diffusion-weighted MRI data from 49 participants. We compared 17 young people (mean age 17 years, 10 months; on average 8 years postinjury) with chronic dysarthria who sustained a TBI in childhood (range 3–16 years) with 2 control groups matched for age and sex: 1 group of youngpeople who sustained a traumaticinjury but had no subsequent dysarthria (n5 15), and 1 group of typically developing individuals (n 5 17). We performed tractography from spherical seed regions within the precentral gyrus white matter to track: 1) the hand-related corticospinal tract;2)the dorsalcorticobulbar tract,thought tocorrespondtothe lips/larynxmotor representation; and 3) the ventral corticobulbar tract, corresponding to the tongue representation. Results: Despite widespread white matter damage, radial (perpendicular) diffusivity within the left dorsal corticobulbar tract was the best predictor of the presence of dysarthria after TBI. Diffusion metrics in this tract also predicted speech and oromotor performance across the whole group of TBI participants, with additional significant contributions from ventral speech tract volume in the right hemisphere. Conclusion: An intact left dorsal corticobulbar tract seems crucial to the normal execution of speech long term after acquired injury. Examining the speech-related motor pathways using diffusion-weighted MRI tractography offers a promising prognostic tool for people with acquired, developmental, or degenerative neurologic conditions likely to affect speech. Neurology 2013;80:926–932

Cerebellar mutism with subsequent dysarthria in an adult: case report.

Abstract: An adult case of mutism and subsequent dysarthria after posterior fossa surgery is presented. An EEG performed during the mute phase showed widespread left hemisphere abnormality although the CT findings were normal. The possible mechanisms underlying this syndrome are discussed.

Acoustic Predictors of Pediatric Dysarthria in Cerebral Palsy.

Abstract: Purpose The objectives of this study were to identify acoustic characteristics of connected speech that differentiate children with dysarthria secondary to cerebral palsy (CP) from typically developing children and to identify acoustic measures that best detect dysarthria in children with CP. Method Twenty 5-year-old children with dysarthria secondary to CP were compared to 20 age- and sex-matched typically developing children on 5 acoustic measures of connected speech. A logistic regression approach was used to derive an acoustic model that best predicted dysarthria status. Results Results indicated that children with dysarthria secondary to CP differed from typically developing children on measures of multiple segmental and suprasegmental speech characteristics. An acoustic model containing articulation rate and the F2 range of diphthongs differentiated children with dysarthria from typically developing children with 87.5% accuracy. Conclusion This study serves as a first step toward developing an acous...

Survivors of severe traumatic brain injury in childhood. II. Late residual disability.

Abstract: 36 survivors of very severe traumatic childhood brain injury have been followed for a median period of 48 months after injury. One remains in a vegetative state and 35 have been discharged. 34 regained ambulation, and motor function became essentially normal in 14 of them. Ataxia and movement disorders were as common among the residua as was spasticity. Only one child remained aphasic, but 14 showed dysarthria. Six of the 36 showed major dementia and most of the rest showed very significant new impairment of cognitive and social function. This impairment was greater than expected from changes in the I.Q. Motor and speech function showed prolonged recovery while learning ability and social function did not. The overall degree of recovery seems not much better in these children than in adults.