Audiology by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis: 11/09/17

Πέμπτη 9 Νοεμβρίου 2017

Associations Between the 2D:4D Proxy Biomarker for Prenatal Hormone Exposures and Symptoms of Developmental Language Disorder

Purpose

Relative lengths of the index (2D) and ring (4D) fingers in humans represent a retrospective biomarker of prenatal hormonal exposures. For this reason, the 2D:4D digit ratio can be used to investigate potential hormonal contributions to the etiology of neurodevelopmental disorders. This study tested potential group differences in 2D:4D digit ratios in a sample of boys with and without developmental language disorder (DLD) and examined the strength of associations between 2D:4D digit ratio and a battery of verbal and nonverbal measures.

Method

A group of 29 boys affected by DLD and a group of 76 boys with typical language abilities participated (age range = 5;6–11;0 years). Scanned images were used to measure finger lengths. Language measures included the core language subtests from the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals–Fourth Edition (Semel, Wiig, & Secord, 2003), a nonword repetition task, a sentence recall task, and the Test of Early Grammatical Impairment (Rice & Wexler, 2001).

Results

Significant group differences indicated lower 2D:4D digit ratios in the group with DLD. Modest associations were found between 2D:4D digit ratios and some Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals–Fourth Edition subtests.

Conclusions

Prenatal hormone exposures may play a role in the etiology of some language symptoms.

from #Audiology via ola Kala on Inoreader http://article/60/11/3226/2661523/Associations-Between-the-2D4D-Proxy-Biomarker-for
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Tongue- and Jaw-Specific Contributions to Acoustic Vowel Contrast Changes in the Diphthong /ai/ in Response to Slow, Loud, and Clear Speech

Purpose

This study sought to determine decoupled tongue and jaw displacement changes and their specific contributions to acoustic vowel contrast changes during slow, loud, and clear speech.

Method

Twenty typical talkers repeated “see a kite again” 5 times in 4 speech conditions (typical, slow, loud, clear). Speech kinematics were recorded using 3-dimensional electromagnetic articulography. Tongue composite displacement, decoupled tongue displacement, and jaw displacement during /ai/, as well as the distance between /a/ and /i/ in the F1–F2 vowel space, were examined during the diphthong /ai/ in “kite.”

Results

Displacements significantly increased during all 3 speech modifications. However, jaw displacements increased significantly more during clear speech than during loud and slow speech, whereas decoupled tongue displacements increased significantly more during slow speech than during clear and loud speech. In addition, decoupled tongue displacements increased significantly more during clear speech than during loud speech. Increases in acoustic vowel contrast tended to be larger during slow speech than during clear speech and were predominantly tongue-driven, whereas those during clear speech were fairly equally accounted for by changes in decoupled tongue and jaw displacements. Increases in acoustic vowel contrast during loud speech were smallest and were predominantly tongue-driven, particularly in men.

Conclusions

Findings suggest that task-specific patterns of decoupled tongue and jaw displacement change and task-specific patterns of decoupled tongue and jaw contributions to vowel acoustic change across these speech modifications. Clinical implications are discussed.

from #Audiology via ola Kala on Inoreader http://article/60/11/3144/2660093/Tongue-and-JawSpecific-Contributions-to-Acoustic
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Procedural Motor Learning in Children With Specific Language Impairment

Purpose

Specific language impairment (SLI) is a developmental disorder that affects language and motor development in the absence of a clear cause. An explanation for these impairments is offered by the procedural deficit hypothesis (PDH), which argues that motor difficulties in SLI are due to deficits in procedural memory. The aim of this study was to test the PDH by examining the procedural motor learning abilities of children with and without SLI.

Method

Thirteen children with SLI and 14 age-matched typically developing children completed the following procedural measures: (a) a knot-tying task as a measure of motor sequencing and (2) a mirror-drawing task as a measure of visual–motor adaptation.

Results

Although children with SLI produced significantly more errors on certain knot-tying tasks, they performed comparably on others. Also, children with SLI performed comparably with typically developing children on the mirror-drawing task.

Conclusions

The PDH requires reframing. The sequence learning deficits in SLI are modest and specific to more difficult tasks. Visual–motor adaptation, on the other hand, appears to be unaffected in SLI.

from #Audiology via ola Kala on Inoreader http://article/60/11/3259/2661619/Procedural-Motor-Learning-in-Children-With
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Auditory Attentional Set-Shifting and Inhibition in Children Who Stutter

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether previously reported parental questionnaire-based differences in attentional shifting and inhibitory control (AS and IC; Eggers, De Nil, & Van den Bergh, 2010) would be supported by direct measurement of AS and IC using a computer task.

Method

Participants were 16 Finnish children who stutter (CWS; mean age = 7.06 years) and 16 Finnish children who do not stutter (mean age = 7.05 years). Participants were matched on age (±8 months) and gender. AS and IC were assessed by the auditory set-shifting task of the Amsterdam Neuropsychological Tasks (De Sonneville, 2009).

Results

No group differences were found for the speed of auditory AS or IC. However, CWS, as a group, scored significantly lower on the accuracy (error percentage) of auditory AS. In addition, CWS, compared with the children who do not stutter, showed a higher increase in error percentages under AS and IC conditions.

Conclusions

The findings on error percentages partly corroborate earlier questionnaire-based findings showing difficulties in CWS on AS and IC. Moreover, it also seems to imply that CWS are less able to slow down their responses to achieve higher accuracy rates.

from #Audiology via ola Kala on Inoreader http://article/60/11/3159/2662758/Auditory-Attentional-SetShifting-and-Inhibition-in
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Developmental Associations Between Working Memory and Language in Children With Specific Language Impairment: A Longitudinal Study

Purpose

This longitudinal study examined differences in the development of working memory (WM) between children with specific language impairment (SLI) and typically developing (TD) children. Further, it explored to what extent language at ages 7–8 years could be predicted by measures of language and/or WM at ages 4–5 years.

Method

Thirty children with SLI and 33 TD children who were previously examined on measures of WM and language at ages 4–5 years (T1) were reexamined at ages 7–8 years (T2).

Results

The developmental course of WM was mostly similar for the two groups; only the development of the verbal storage component differed. At T1, children with SLI performed significantly below their TD peers on all components of WM (verbal storage, verbal central executive [CE], visuospatial storage, and visuospatial CE), whereas at T2, the differences for the visuospatial components were no longer significant when age and intelligence were taken into account. Hierarchical regression showed language and verbal CE at T1 to be significant predictors of language at T2, with no differences in the developmental associations between language and WM for the two groups.

Conclusions

The results of this study suggest that particularly verbal CE is of importance for the acquisition of linguistic skills.

from #Audiology via ola Kala on Inoreader http://article/60/11/3284/2662910/Developmental-Associations-Between-Working-Memory
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With Some Help From Others' Hands: Iconic Gesture Helps Semantic Learning in Children With Specific Language Impairment

Purpose

Semantic learning under 2 co-speech gesture conditions was investigated in children with specific language impairment (SLI) and typically developing (TD) children. Learning was analyzed between conditions.

Method

Twenty children with SLI (aged 4 years), 20 TD children matched for age, and 20 TD children matched for language scores were taught rare nouns and verbs. Children heard the target words while seeing either iconic gestures illustrating a property of the referent or a control gesture focusing children's attention on the word. Following training, children were asked to define the words' meaning. Responses were coded for semantic information provided on each word.

Results

Performance of the SLI and age-matched groups proved superior to that of the language-matched group. Overall, children defined more words taught with iconic gestures than words taught with attention-getting gestures. However, only children with SLI, but not TD children, provided more semantic information on each word taught with iconic gestures. Performance did not differ in terms of word class.

Conclusions

Results suggest that iconic co-speech gestures help both children with and without SLI learn new words but, in particular, assist children with SLI understand and reflect the words' meaning.

from #Audiology via xlomafota13 on Inoreader http://article/60/11/3213/2661762/With-Some-Help-From-Others-Hands-Iconic-Gesture
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Infant-Directed Speech Enhances Attention to Speech in Deaf Infants With Cochlear Implants

Purpose

Both theoretical models of infant language acquisition and empirical studies posit important roles for attention to speech in early language development. However, deaf infants with cochlear implants (CIs) show reduced attention to speech as compared with their peers with normal hearing (NH; Horn, Davis, Pisoni, & Miyamoto, 2005; Houston, Pisoni, Kirk, Ying, & Miyamoto, 2003), which may affect their acquisition of spoken language. The main purpose of this study was to determine (a) whether infant-directed speech (IDS) enhances attention to speech in infants with CIs, as compared with adult-directed speech (ADS), and (b) whether the degree to which infants with CIs pay attention to IDS is associated with later language outcomes.

Method

We tested 46 infants—12 prelingually deaf infants who received CIs before 24 months of age and had 12 months of hearing experience (CI group), 22 hearing experience–matched infants with NH (NH-HEM group), and 12 chronological age–matched infants with NH (NH-CAM group)—on their listening preference in 3 randomized blocks: IDS versus silence, ADS versus silence, and IDS versus ADS. We administered the Preschool Language Scale–Fourth Edition (PLS-4; Zimmerman, Steiner, & Pond, 2002) approximately 18 months after implantation to assess receptive and expressive language skills of infants with CIs.

Results

In the IDS versus silence block, all 3 groups looked significantly longer to IDS than to silence. In the ADS versus silence block, both the NH-HEM and NH-CAM groups looked significantly longer to ADS relative to silence; however, the CI group did not show any preference. In the IDS versus ADS block, whereas both the CI and NH-HEM groups preferred IDS over ADS, the NH-CAM group looked equally long to IDS and ADS. IDS preference quotient among infants with CIs in the IDS versus ADS block was associated with PLS-4 Auditory Comprehension and PLS-4 Expressive Communication measures.

Conclusions

Two major findings emerge: (a) IDS enhances attention to speech in deaf infants with CIs; (b) the degree of IDS preference over ADS relates to language development in infants with CIs. These results support a focus on input in developing intervention strategies to mitigate the effects of hearing loss on language development in infants with hearing loss.

from #Audiology via xlomafota13 on Inoreader http://article/60/11/3321/2662754/InfantDirected-Speech-Enhances-Attention-to-Speech
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Predicting Intelligibility Gains in Dysarthria Through Automated Speech Feature Analysis

Purpose

Behavioral speech modifications have variable effects on the intelligibility of speakers with dysarthria. In the companion article, a significant relationship was found between measures of speakers' baseline speech and their intelligibility gains following cues to speak louder and reduce rate (Fletcher, McAuliffe, Lansford, Sinex, & Liss, 2017). This study reexamines these features and assesses whether automated acoustic assessments can also be used to predict intelligibility gains.

Method

Fifty speakers (7 older individuals and 43 with dysarthria) read a passage in habitual, loud, and slow speaking modes. Automated measurements of long-term average spectra, envelope modulation spectra, and Mel-frequency cepstral coefficients were extracted from short segments of participants' baseline speech. Intelligibility gains were statistically modeled, and the predictive power of the baseline speech measures was assessed using cross-validation.

Results

Statistical models could predict the intelligibility gains of speakers they had not been trained on. The automated acoustic features were better able to predict speakers' improvement in the loud condition than the manual measures reported in the companion article.

Conclusions

These acoustic analyses present a promising tool for rapidly assessing treatment options. Automated measures of baseline speech patterns may enable more selective inclusion criteria and stronger group outcomes within treatment studies.

from #Audiology via xlomafota13 on Inoreader http://article/60/11/3058/2661026/Predicting-Intelligibility-Gains-in-Dysarthria
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Distributional Learning in College Students With Developmental Language Disorder

Purpose

This study examined whether college students with developmental language disorder (DLD) could use distributional information in an artificial language to learn about grammatical category membership in a way similar to their typically developing (TD) peers.

Method

Seventeen college students with DLD and 17 TD college students participated in this task. We used an artificial grammar in which certain combinations of words never occurred during training. At test, participants had to use knowledge of category membership to determine which combinations were allowable in the grammar, even though they had not been heard.

Results

College students with DLD performed similarly to TD peers in distinguishing grammatical from ungrammatical combinations.

Conclusion

Differences in ratings between grammatical and ungrammatical items in this task suggest that college students with DLD can form grammatical categories from novel input and more broadly use distributional information.

from #Audiology via xlomafota13 on Inoreader http://article/60/11/3270/2662756/Distributional-Learning-in-College-Students-With
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Intelligibility of Noise-Adapted and Clear Speech in Child, Young Adult, and Older Adult Talkers

Purpose

This study examined intelligibility of conversational and clear speech sentences produced in quiet and in noise by children, young adults, and older adults. Relative talker intelligibility was assessed across speaking styles.

Method

Sixty-one young adult participants listened to sentences mixed with speech-shaped noise at −5 dB signal-to-noise ratio. The analyses examined percent correct scores across conversational, clear, and noise-adapted conditions and the three talker groups. Correlation analyses examined whether talker intelligibility is consistent across speaking style adaptations.

Results

Noise-adapted and clear speech significantly enhanced intelligibility for young adult listeners. The intelligibility improvement varied across the three talker groups. Notably, intelligibility benefit was smallest for children's speaking style modifications. Listeners also perceived speech produced in noise by older adults to be less intelligible compared to the younger talkers. Talker intelligibility was correlated strongly between conversational and clear speech in quiet, but not for conversational speech produced in quiet and in noise.

Conclusions

Results provide evidence that intelligibility variation related to age and communicative barrier has the potential to aid clinical decision making for individuals with speech disorders, particularly dysarthria.

from #Audiology via xlomafota13 on Inoreader http://article/60/11/3069/2660932/Intelligibility-of-NoiseAdapted-and-Clear-Speech
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Predicting Intelligibility Gains in Individuals With Dysarthria From Baseline Speech Features

Purpose

Across the treatment literature, behavioral speech modifications have produced variable intelligibility changes in speakers with dysarthria. This study is the first of two articles exploring whether measurements of baseline speech features can predict speakers’ responses to these modifications.

Methods

Fifty speakers (7 older individuals and 43 speakers with dysarthria) read a standard passage in habitual, loud, and slow speaking modes. Eighteen listeners rated how easy the speech samples were to understand. Baseline acoustic measurements of articulation, prosody, and voice quality were collected with perceptual measures of severity.

Results

Cues to speak louder and reduce rate did not confer intelligibility benefits to every speaker. The degree to which cues to speak louder improved intelligibility could be predicted by speakers' baseline articulation rates and overall dysarthria severity. Improvements in the slow condition could be predicted by speakers' baseline severity and temporal variability. Speakers with a breathier voice quality tended to perform better in the loud condition than in the slow condition.

Conclusions

Assessments of baseline speech features can be used to predict appropriate treatment strategies for speakers with dysarthria. Further development of these assessments could provide the basis for more individualized treatment programs.

from #Audiology via xlomafota13 on Inoreader http://article/60/11/3043/2661025/Predicting-Intelligibility-Gains-in-Individuals
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Acoustics of Clear and Noise-Adapted Speech in Children, Young, and Older Adults

Purpose

This study investigated acoustic–phonetic modifications produced in noise-adapted speech (NAS) and clear speech (CS) by children, young adults, and older adults.

Method

Ten children (11–13 years of age), 10 young adults (18–29 years of age), and 10 older adults (60–84 years of age) read sentences in conversational and clear speaking style in quiet and in noise. A number of acoustic measurements were obtained.

Results

NAS and CS were characterized by a decrease in speaking rate and an increase in 1–3 kHz energy, sound pressure level (SPL), vowel space area (VSA), and harmonics-to-noise ratio. NAS increased fundamental frequency (F0) mean and decreased jitter and shimmer. CS increased frequency and duration of pauses. Older adults produced the slowest speaking rate, longest pauses, and smallest increase in F0 mean, 1–3 kHz energy, and SPL when speaking clearly. They produced the smallest increases in VSA in NAS and CS. Children slowed down less, increased the VSA least, increased harmonics-to-noise ratio, and decreased jitter and shimmer most in CS. Children increased mean F0 and F1 most in noise.

Conclusions

Findings have implications for a model of speech production in healthy speakers as well as the potential to aid in clinical decision making for individuals with speech disorders, particularly dysarthria.

from #Audiology via xlomafota13 on Inoreader http://article/60/11/3081/2660931/Acoustics-of-Clear-and-NoiseAdapted-Speech-in
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Academic Vocabulary Learning in First Through Third Grade in Low-Income Schools: Effects of Automated Supplemental Instruction

Purpose

This study investigated cumulative effects of language learning, specifically whether prior vocabulary knowledge or special education status moderated the effects of academic vocabulary instruction in high-poverty schools.

Method

Effects of a supplemental intervention targeting academic vocabulary in first through third grades were evaluated with 241 students (6–9 years old) from low-income families, 48% of whom were retained for the 3-year study duration. Students were randomly assigned to vocabulary instruction or comparison groups.

Results

Curriculum-based measures of word recognition, receptive identification, expressive labeling, and decontextualized definitions showed large effects for multiple levels of word learning. Hierarchical linear modeling revealed that students with higher initial Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test–Fourth Edition scores (Dunn & Dunn, 2007) demonstrated greater word learning, whereas students with special needs demonstrated less growth in vocabulary.

Conclusion

This model of vocabulary instruction can be applied efficiently in high-poverty schools through an automated, easily implemented adjunct to reading instruction in the early grades and holds promise for reducing gaps in vocabulary development.

from #Audiology via xlomafota13 on Inoreader http://article/60/11/3237/2662757/Academic-Vocabulary-Learning-in-First-Through
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Preliminary Evidence That Growth in Productive Language Differentiates Childhood Stuttering Persistence and Recovery

Purpose

Childhood stuttering is common but is often outgrown. Children whose stuttering persists experience significant life impacts, calling for a better understanding of what factors may underlie eventual recovery. In previous research, language ability has been shown to differentiate children who stutter (CWS) from children who do not stutter, yet there is an active debate in the field regarding what, if any, language measures may mark eventual recovery versus persistence. In this study, we examined whether growth in productive language performance may better predict the probability of recovery compared to static profiles taken from a single time point.

Method

Productive syntax and vocabulary diversity growth rates were calculated for 50 CWS using random coefficient models. Logistic regression models were then used to determine whether growth rates uniquely predict likelihood of recovery, as well as if these rates were predictive over and above currently identified correlates of stuttering onset and recovery.

Results

Different linguistic profiles emerged between children who went on to recover versus those who persisted. Children who had steeper productive syntactic growth, but not vocabulary diversity growth, were more likely to recover by study end. Moreover, this effect held after controlling for initial language ability at study onset as well as demographic covariates.

Conclusions

Results are discussed in terms of how growth estimates can be incorporated in recommendations for fostering productive language skills among CWS. The need for additional research on language in early stuttering and recovery is suggested.

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Developing Appreciation for Sarcasm and Sarcastic Gossip: It Depends on Perspective

Background

Speakers use sarcasm to criticize others and to be funny; the indirectness of sarcasm protects the addressee's face (Brown & Levinson, 1987). Thus, appreciation of sarcasm depends on the ability to consider perspectives.

Purpose

We investigated development of this ability from late childhood into adulthood and examined effects of interpretive perspective and parties present.

Method

We presented 9- to 10-year-olds, 13- to 14-year-olds, and adults with sarcastic and literal remarks in three parties–present conditions: private evaluation, public evaluation, and gossip. Participants interpreted the speaker's attitude and humor from the addressee's perspective and, when appropriate, from the bystander's perspective.

Results

Children showed no influence of interpretive perspective or parties present on appreciation of the speaker's attitude or humor. Adolescents and adults, however, shifted their interpretations, judging that addressees have less favorable views of criticisms than bystanders. Further, adolescents and adults differed in their perceptions of the social functions of gossip, with adolescents showing more positive attitudes than adults toward sarcastic gossip.

Conclusions

We suggest that adults' disapproval of sarcastic gossip shows a deeper understanding of the utility of sarcasm's face-saving function. Thus, the ability to modulate appreciation of sarcasm according to interpretive perspective and parties present continues to develop in adolescence and into adulthood.

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Generalized Adaptation to Dysarthric Speech

Purpose

Generalization of perceptual learning has received limited attention in listener adaptation studies with dysarthric speech. This study investigated whether adaptation to a talker with dysarthria could be predicted by the nature of the listener's prior familiarization experience, specifically similarity of perceptual features, and level of intelligibility.

Method

Following an intelligibility pretest involving a talker with ataxic dysarthria, 160 listeners were familiarized with 1 of 7 talkers with dysarthria—who differed from the test talker in terms of perceptual similarity (same, similar, dissimilar) and level of intelligibility (low, mid, high)—or a talker with no neurological impairment (control). Listeners then completed an intelligibility posttest on the test talker.

Results

All listeners benefited from familiarization with a talker with dysarthria; however, adaptation to the test talker was superior when the familiarization talker had similar perceptual features and reduced when the familiarization talker had low intelligibility.

Conclusion

Evidence for both generalization and specificity of learning highlights the differential value of listeners' prior experiences for adaptation to, and improved understanding of, a talker with dysarthria. These findings broaden our theoretical knowledge of adaptation to degraded speech, as well as the clinical application of training paradigms that exploit perceptual processes for therapeutic gain.

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Verbal Working Memory in Children With Cochlear Implants

Purpose

Verbal working memory in children with cochlear implants and children with normal hearing was examined.

Participants

Ninety-three fourth graders (47 with normal hearing, 46 with cochlear implants) participated, all of whom were in a longitudinal study and had working memory assessed 2 years earlier.

Method

A dual-component model of working memory was adopted, and a serial recall task measured storage and processing. Potential predictor variables were phonological awareness, vocabulary knowledge, nonverbal IQ, and several treatment variables. Potential dependent functions were literacy, expressive language, and speech-in-noise recognition.

Results

Children with cochlear implants showed deficits in storage and processing, similar in size to those at second grade. Predictors of verbal working memory differed across groups: Phonological awareness explained the most variance in children with normal hearing; vocabulary explained the most variance in children with cochlear implants. Treatment variables explained little of the variance. Where potentially dependent functions were concerned, verbal working memory accounted for little variance once the variance explained by other predictors was removed.

Conclusions

The verbal working memory deficits of children with cochlear implants arise due to signal degradation, which limits their abilities to acquire phonological awareness. That hinders their abilities to store items using a phonological code.

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Neural Indices of Semantic Processing in Early Childhood Distinguish Eventual Stuttering Persistence and Recovery

Purpose

Maturation of neural processes for language may lag in some children who stutter (CWS), and event-related potentials (ERPs) distinguish CWS who have recovered from those who have persisted. The current study explores whether ERPs indexing semantic processing may distinguish children who will eventually persist in stuttering (CWS-ePersisted) from those who will recover from stuttering (CWS-eRecovered).

Method

Fifty-six 5-year-old children with normal receptive language listened to naturally spoken sentences in a story context. ERP components elicited for semantic processing (N400, late positive component [LPC]) were compared for CWS-ePersisted, CWS-eRecovered, and children who do not stutter (CWNS).

Results

The N400 elicited by semantic violations had a more focal scalp distribution (left lateralized and less anterior) in the CWS-eRecovered compared with CWS-ePersisted. Although the LPC elicited in CWS-eRecovered and CWNS did not differ, the LPC elicited in the CWS-ePersisted was smaller in amplitude compared with that in CWNS.

Conclusions

ERPs elicited in 5-year-old CWS-eRecovered compared with CWS-ePersisted suggest that future recovery from stuttering may be associated with earlier maturation of semantic processes in the preschool years. Subtle differences in ERP indices offer a window into neural maturation processes for language and may help distinguish the course of stuttering development.

from #Audiology via xlomafota13 on Inoreader http://article/60/11/3118/2661760/Neural-Indices-of-Semantic-Processing-in-Early
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Consonant Age-of-Acquisition Effects in Nonword Repetition Are Not Articulatory in Nature

Purpose

Most research examining long-term-memory effects on nonword repetition (NWR) has focused on lexical-level variables. Phoneme-level variables have received little attention, although there are reasons to expect significant sublexical effects in NWR. To further understand the underlying processes of NWR, this study examined effects of sublexical long-term phonological knowledge by testing whether performance differs when the stimuli comprise consonants acquired later versus earlier in speech development.

Method

Thirty (Experiment 1) and 20 (Experiment 2) college students completed tasks that investigated whether an experimental phoneme-level variable (consonant age of acquisition) similarly affects NWR and lexical-access tasks designed to vary in articulatory, auditory-perceptual, and phonological short-term-memory demands. The lexical-access tasks were performed in silence or with concurrent articulation to explore whether consonant age-of-acquisition effects arise before or after articulatory planning.

Results

NWR accuracy decreased on items comprising later- versus earlier-acquired phonemes. Similar consonant age-of-acquisition effects were observed in accuracy measures of nonword reading and lexical decision performed in silence or with concurrent articulation.

Conclusion

Results indicate that NWR performance is sensitive to phoneme-level phonological knowledge in long-term memory. NWR, accordingly, should not be regarded as a diagnostic tool for pure impairment of phonological short-term memory.

Supplemental Materials

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Influence of Altered Auditory Feedback on Oral–Nasal Balance in Speech

Purpose

This study explored the role of auditory feedback in the regulation of oral–nasal balance in speech.

Method

Twenty typical female speakers wore a Nasometer 6450 (KayPentax) headset and headphones while continuously repeating a sentence with oral and nasal sounds. Oral–nasal balance was quantified with nasalance scores. The signals from 2 additional oral and nasal microphones were played back to the participants through the headphones. The relative loudness of the nasal channel in the mix was gradually changed so that the speakers heard themselves as more or less nasal. An additional amplitude control group of 9 female speakers completed the same task while hearing themselves louder or softer in the headphones.

Results

A repeated-measures analysis of variance of the mean nasalance scores of the stimulus sentence at baseline, minimum, and maximum nasal feedback conditions demonstrated a significant effect of the nasal feedback condition. Post hoc analyses found that the mean nasalance scores were lowest for the maximum nasal feedback condition. The scores of the minimum nasal feedback condition were significantly higher than 2 of the 3 baseline feedback conditions. The amplitude control group did not show any effects of volume changes on nasalance scores.

Conclusions

Increased nasal feedback led to a compensatory adjustment in the opposite direction, confirming that oral–nasal balance is regulated by auditory feedback. However, a lack of nasal feedback did not lead to a consistent compensatory response of similar magnitude.

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Associations Between the 2D:4D Proxy Biomarker for Prenatal Hormone Exposures and Symptoms of Developmental Language Disorder

Purpose

Method

Results

Conclusions

Prenatal hormone exposures may play a role in the etiology of some language symptoms.

from #Audiology via xlomafota13 on Inoreader http://article/60/11/3226/2661523/Associations-Between-the-2D4D-Proxy-Biomarker-for
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Tongue- and Jaw-Specific Contributions to Acoustic Vowel Contrast Changes in the Diphthong /ai/ in Response to Slow, Loud, and Clear Speech

Purpose

This study sought to determine decoupled tongue and jaw displacement changes and their specific contributions to acoustic vowel contrast changes during slow, loud, and clear speech.

Method

Results

Conclusions

Findings suggest that task-specific patterns of decoupled tongue and jaw displacement change and task-specific patterns of decoupled tongue and jaw contributions to vowel acoustic change across these speech modifications. Clinical implications are discussed.

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Procedural Motor Learning in Children With Specific Language Impairment

Purpose

Method

Results

Conclusions

The PDH requires reframing. The sequence learning deficits in SLI are modest and specific to more difficult tasks. Visual–motor adaptation, on the other hand, appears to be unaffected in SLI.

from #Audiology via xlomafota13 on Inoreader http://article/60/11/3259/2661619/Procedural-Motor-Learning-in-Children-With
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Auditory Attentional Set-Shifting and Inhibition in Children Who Stutter

Purpose

Method

Results

Conclusions

The findings on error percentages partly corroborate earlier questionnaire-based findings showing difficulties in CWS on AS and IC. Moreover, it also seems to imply that CWS are less able to slow down their responses to achieve higher accuracy rates.

from #Audiology via xlomafota13 on Inoreader http://article/60/11/3159/2662758/Auditory-Attentional-SetShifting-and-Inhibition-in
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Developmental Associations Between Working Memory and Language in Children With Specific Language Impairment: A Longitudinal Study

Purpose

Method

Thirty children with SLI and 33 TD children who were previously examined on measures of WM and language at ages 4–5 years (T1) were reexamined at ages 7–8 years (T2).

Results

Conclusions

The results of this study suggest that particularly verbal CE is of importance for the acquisition of linguistic skills.

from #Audiology via xlomafota13 on Inoreader http://article/60/11/3284/2662910/Developmental-Associations-Between-Working-Memory
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Deaf Culture: Exploring Deaf Communities in the United States.

No abstract available

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Deaf Culture: Exploring Deaf Communities in the United States.

No abstract available

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Deaf Culture: Exploring Deaf Communities in the United States.

No abstract available

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Gaming to Better Hearing

Computer-based auditory training approaches have existed for decades. A major limitation of these platforms has been the transferability to real-world communication challenges. An almost universal complaint of individuals with any level of hearing loss is difficulty understanding speech in background noise. The challenge of background noise remains even with an appropriate fitting of amplification; coupling with remote microphone technologies are currently the best method for improving the signal-to-noise ratio, but also has its own inherent limitations.

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The Effect of Adaptive Nonlinear Frequency Compression on Phoneme Perception

Purpose

This study implemented a fitting method, developed for use with frequency lowering hearing aids, across multiple testing sites, participants, and hearing aid conditions to evaluate speech perception with a novel type of frequency lowering.

Method

A total of 8 participants, including children and young adults, participated in real-world hearing aid trials. A blinded crossover design, including posttrial withdrawal testing, was used to assess aided phoneme perception. The hearing aid conditions included adaptive nonlinear frequency compression (NFC), static NFC, and conventional processing.

Results

Enabling either adaptive NFC or static NFC improved group-level detection and recognition results for some high-frequency phonemes, when compared with conventional processing. Mean results for the distinction component of the Phoneme Perception Test (Schmitt, Winkler, Boretzki, & Holube, 2016) were similar to those obtained with conventional processing.

Conclusions

Findings suggest that both types of NFC tested in this study provided a similar amount of speech perception benefit, when compared with group-level performance with conventional hearing aid technology. Individual-level results are presented with discussion around patterns of results that differ from the group average.

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The Effect of Adaptive Nonlinear Frequency Compression on Phoneme Perception

Purpose

Method

Results

Conclusions

The Effect of Adaptive Nonlinear Frequency Compression on Phoneme Perception

Purpose

Method

Results

Conclusions

Findings suggest that both types of NFC tested in this study provided a similar amount of speech perception benefit, when compared with group-level performance with conventional hearing aid technology. Individual-level results are presented with discussion around patterns of results that differ from the group average.

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Diagnostic Accuracy of Traditional Measures of Phonological Ability for Bilingual Preschoolers and Kindergarteners

Purpose

Bilingual children whose phonological skills are evaluated using measures designed for monolingual English speakers are at risk for misdiagnosis of speech sound disorders (De Lamo White & Jin, 2011).

Method

Forty-four children participated in this study: 15 typically developing monolingual English speakers, 7 monolingual English speakers with phonological disorders, 14 typically developing bilingual Spanish–English speakers, and 8 bilingual children with phonological disorders. Children's single-word speech productions were examined on Percentage Consonants Correct–Revised (Shriberg, Austin, Lewis, McSweeny, & Wilson, 1997a) and accuracy of early-, middle-, and late-developing sounds (Shriberg, 1993) in English. Consonant accuracy in English was compared between monolinguals and bilinguals with and without speech sound disorders. Logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic curves were used to observe diagnostic accuracy of the measures examined.

Results

Percentage Consonants Correct–Revised was found to be a good indicator of phonological ability in both monolingual and bilingual English-speaking children at the age of 5;0. No significant differences were found between language groups on any of the measures examined.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that traditional measures of phonological ability for monolinguals could provide good diagnostic accuracy for bilingual children at the age of 5;0 years. These findings are preliminary, and children younger than 5;0 years should be examined for risk of misdiagnosis.

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The Role of Phonological Working Memory and Environmental Factors in Lexical Development in Italian-Speaking Late Talkers: A One-Year Follow-Up Study

Purpose

This follow-up study assessed (a) the influence of phonological working memory (pWM), home literacy environment, and a family history of linguistic impairments in late talkers (LTs); (b) the diagnostic accuracy of a task of nonword repetition (NWR) in identifying LTs; and (c) the persistence of lexical weaknesses after 10 months.

Method

Two hundred ninety-three children were assessed at approximately 32 (t1) and 41 (t2) months. At t1, they were administered the Italian adaptation of the Language Development Survey, an NWR task (used to assess pWM), and questionnaires assessing home literacy environment and family history of language impairments. Thirty-three LTs were identified. The linguistic skills of the participants were evaluated at t2 by administering tasks assessing Articulation, Naming, Semantic Fluency, and Lexical Comprehension.

Results

At t2, LTs performed more poorly as compared with age-matched typically developing peers in articulatory and naming skills, had reduced lexical comprehension abilities, and had limited lexical knowledge. Their performance on the NWR task at t1 correlated with the extension of their vocabularies at t2 (as estimated with a Semantic Fluency task).

Conclusions

The Language Development Survey recently adapted to Italian is sensitive to LTs. Former LTs still have a mild lexical delay at approximately 40 months. As an indirect measure of pWM, the task of NWR is an early indicator of future lexical deficits.

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Reproducibility of Dual-Microphone Voice Range Profile Equipment

Purpose

The aim of this study was to add further knowledge about the usefulness of the Voice Range Profile (VRP) assessment in clinical settings and research by analyzing VRP dual-microphone equipment precision, reliability, and room effect.

Method

Test–retest studies were conducted in an anechoic chamber and an office: (a) comparing sound pressure levels (SPLs) from a dual-microphone VRP device, the Voice Profiler, when given the same input repeatedly (test–retest reliability); (b) comparing SPLs from 3 devices when given the same input repeatedly (intervariation); and (c) assessing the room effect.

Results

(a) The mean standard deviation across 17 measurement points was 0.7 dB for 1 device. (b) One device was less precise than the other 2 devices. All devices presented high SPLs at low frequencies compared with the reference. (c) Mean SPLs were almost equal in the anechoic chamber and the office.

Conclusions

The high test–retest reliability of the dual-microphone VRP equipment, especially in general office surroundings, is a positive finding. Attention must be paid to specific factors such as using the same device when comparing the same voice before and after treatment, caution in headset placement, and manual recalibrations when automatic recalibration occurs. We suggest recalibrations verified with a reference source at regular intervals.

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Categorical Perception of Mandarin Chinese Tones 1–2 and Tones 1–4: Effects of Aging and Signal Duration

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to investigate the aging effect on the categorical perception of Mandarin Chinese tones with varied fundamental frequency (F0) contours and signal duration.

Method

Both younger and older native Chinese listeners with normal hearing were recruited in 2 experiments: tone identification and tone discrimination on a series of stimuli with the F0 contour systematically varying from the flat tone to the rising–falling tones. Apart from F0 contour, tone duration was manipulated at 3 levels: 100, 200, and 400 ms.

Results

Results suggested that, compared with younger listeners, older listeners performed with shallower slope in the identification function and smaller peakedness in the discrimination function, particularly for Tones 1 and 2, whereas for Tones 1 and 4, comparable categorical perception was found between younger and older listeners.

Conclusions

The current study suggested that longer duration facilitated categorical perception in the flat–rising tones for the older listeners. Such an aging effect was not found with the flat–falling tones, suggesting that the aging-related deficit in categorical perception might relate to different tone types. Aging resulted in less categoricality of Mandarin tone perception for the flat–rising tones with short duration like 100 ms, possibly due to the aging-related decline in temporal processing.

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Recognition and Comprehension of “Narrow Focus” by Young Adults With Prelingual Hearing Loss Using Hearing Aids or Cochlear Implants

Purpose

The stressed word in a sentence (narrow focus [NF]) conveys information about the intent of the speaker and is therefore important for processing spoken language and in social interactions. The ability of participants with severe-to-profound prelingual hearing loss to comprehend NF has rarely been investigated. The purpose of this study was to assess the recognition and comprehension of NF by young adults with prelingual hearing loss compared with those of participants with normal hearing (NH).

Method

The participants included young adults with hearing aids (HA; n = 10), cochlear implants (CI; n = 12), and NH (n = 18). The test material included the Hebrew Narrow Focus Test (Segal, Kaplan, Patael, & Kishon-Rabin, in press), with 3 subtests, which was used to assess the recognition and comprehension of NF in different contexts.

Results

The following results were obtained: (a) CI and HA users successfully recognized the stressed word, with the worst performance for CI; (b) HA and CI comprehended NF less well than NH; and (c) the comprehension of NF was associated with verbal working memory and expressive vocabulary in CI users.

Conclusions

Most CI and HA users were able to recognize the stressed word in a sentence but had considerable difficulty understanding it. Different factors may contribute to this difficulty, including the memory load during the task itself and linguistic and pragmatic abilities.

Supplemental Material

http://ift.tt/2AuFsat

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Interfering With Inner Speech Selectively Disrupts Problem Solving and Is Linked With Real-World Executive Functioning

Purpose

According to Vygotskian theory, verbal thinking serves to guide our behavior and underpins critical self-regulatory functions. Indeed, numerous studies now link inner speech usage with performance on tests of executive function (EF). However, the selectivity of inner speech contributions to multifactorial executive planning performance and links with real-world functioning are limited. Therefore, the present study seeks to fill this gap in our knowledge.

Method

Fifty-one adults completed the Tower of London under 2 conditions, (a) articulatory suppression and (b) foot tapping, and provided self-ratings of real-world executive functioning (utilizing the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function–Adult Version; Roth, Isquith, & Gioia, 2006).

Results

Interfering with inner speech selectively disrupted Tower of London performance over and above a simultaneous motor task (i.e., foot tapping). Furthermore, this selectivity in performance was linked with real-world self-monitoring.

Conclusion

These results provide further evidence for specific links between verbal thinking and EF (particularly using multifactorial tasks of planning) and suggest that inner speech might serve as a key intervention target in clinical disorders where EF deficits are prominent.

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Understanding Bilingual Word Learning: The Role of Phonotactic Probability and Phonological Neighborhood Density

Purpose

Previous research has shown that the language-learning mechanism is affected by bilingualism resulting in a novel word learning advantage for bilingual speakers. However, less is known about the factors that might influence this advantage. This article reports an investigation of 2 factors: phonotactic probability and phonological neighborhood density.

Method

Acquisition of 15 novel words varying in phonotactic probability and phonological neighborhood density was examined in high-proficiency, early onset, Mandarin–English bilinguals and English monolinguals.

Results

Both bilinguals and monolinguals demonstrated a significant effect of phonotactic probability and phonological neighborhood density. Novel word learning improved when the phonological neighborhood density was higher; in contrast, higher phonotactic probability resulted in worse learning. Although the bilingual speakers showed significantly better novel word learning than monolingual speakers, this did not interact with phonotactic probability and phonological neighborhood density manipulations.

Conclusion

Both bilingual and monolingual word learning abilities are constrained by the same learning mechanisms. However, bilingual advantages may be underpinned by more effective allocation of cognitive resources due to their dual language experience.

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Diagnostic Accuracy of Traditional Measures of Phonological Ability for Bilingual Preschoolers and Kindergarteners

Purpose

Bilingual children whose phonological skills are evaluated using measures designed for monolingual English speakers are at risk for misdiagnosis of speech sound disorders (De Lamo White & Jin, 2011).

Method

Results

Conclusions

Our results suggest that traditional measures of phonological ability for monolinguals could provide good diagnostic accuracy for bilingual children at the age of 5;0 years. These findings are preliminary, and children younger than 5;0 years should be examined for risk of misdiagnosis.

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Diagnostic Accuracy of Traditional Measures of Phonological Ability for Bilingual Preschoolers and Kindergarteners

Purpose

Bilingual children whose phonological skills are evaluated using measures designed for monolingual English speakers are at risk for misdiagnosis of speech sound disorders (De Lamo White & Jin, 2011).

Method

Results

Conclusions

The Role of Phonological Working Memory and Environmental Factors in Lexical Development in Italian-Speaking Late Talkers: A One-Year Follow-Up Study

Purpose

Method

Results

Conclusions

Reproducibility of Dual-Microphone Voice Range Profile Equipment

Purpose

Method

Results

Conclusions

Categorical Perception of Mandarin Chinese Tones 1–2 and Tones 1–4: Effects of Aging and Signal Duration

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to investigate the aging effect on the categorical perception of Mandarin Chinese tones with varied fundamental frequency (F0) contours and signal duration.

Method

Results

Conclusions

Recognition and Comprehension of “Narrow Focus” by Young Adults With Prelingual Hearing Loss Using Hearing Aids or Cochlear Implants

Purpose

Method

Results

Conclusions

Supplemental Material

http://ift.tt/2AuFsat

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Interfering With Inner Speech Selectively Disrupts Problem Solving and Is Linked With Real-World Executive Functioning

Purpose

Method

Results

Conclusion

Understanding Bilingual Word Learning: The Role of Phonotactic Probability and Phonological Neighborhood Density

Purpose

Method

Results

Conclusion

The Role of Phonological Working Memory and Environmental Factors in Lexical Development in Italian-Speaking Late Talkers: A One-Year Follow-Up Study

Purpose

Method

Results

Conclusions

The Language Development Survey recently adapted to Italian is sensitive to LTs. Former LTs still have a mild lexical delay at approximately 40 months. As an indirect measure of pWM, the task of NWR is an early indicator of future lexical deficits.

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Reproducibility of Dual-Microphone Voice Range Profile Equipment

Purpose

Method

Results

Conclusions

The high test–retest reliability of the dual-microphone VRP equipment, especially in general office surroundings, is a positive finding. Attention must be paid to specific factors such as using the same device when comparing the same voice before and after treatment, caution in headset placement, and manual recalibrations when automatic recalibration occurs. We suggest recalibrations verified with a reference source at regular intervals.

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Categorical Perception of Mandarin Chinese Tones 1–2 and Tones 1–4: Effects of Aging and Signal Duration

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to investigate the aging effect on the categorical perception of Mandarin Chinese tones with varied fundamental frequency (F0) contours and signal duration.

Method

Results

Conclusions

The current study suggested that longer duration facilitated categorical perception in the flat–rising tones for the older listeners. Such an aging effect was not found with the flat–falling tones, suggesting that the aging-related deficit in categorical perception might relate to different tone types. Aging resulted in less categoricality of Mandarin tone perception for the flat–rising tones with short duration like 100 ms, possibly due to the aging-related decline in temporal processing.

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Recognition and Comprehension of “Narrow Focus” by Young Adults With Prelingual Hearing Loss Using Hearing Aids or Cochlear Implants

Purpose

Method

Results

Conclusions

Supplemental Material

http://ift.tt/2AuFsat

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Interfering With Inner Speech Selectively Disrupts Problem Solving and Is Linked With Real-World Executive Functioning

Purpose

Method

Results

Conclusion

These results provide further evidence for specific links between verbal thinking and EF (particularly using multifactorial tasks of planning) and suggest that inner speech might serve as a key intervention target in clinical disorders where EF deficits are prominent.

from #Audiology via xlomafota13 on Inoreader http://article/doi/10.1044/2017_JSLHR-S-16-0376/2663296/Interfering-With-Inner-Speech-Selectively-Disrupts
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Understanding Bilingual Word Learning: The Role of Phonotactic Probability and Phonological Neighborhood Density

Purpose

Method

Results

Conclusion

Both bilingual and monolingual word learning abilities are constrained by the same learning mechanisms. However, bilingual advantages may be underpinned by more effective allocation of cognitive resources due to their dual language experience.

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Comparing the effects of adapting to a weight on one leg during treadmill and overground walking: A pilot study

Publication date: January 2018
Source:Gait & Posture, Volume 59
Author(s): Gabriela Lopes Gama, Douglas N. Savin, Taylor Keenan, Sandy McCombe Waller, Jill Whitall
BackgroundLocomotor adaptation has been suggested as a way to improve gait symmetry in individuals post-stroke. Most perturbation methods utilize costly, specialized equipment. The use of a unilateral leg weight may provide a low cost, clinically translatable alternative. Furthermore, previous studies have suggested that adaptation context may affect movement outcomes. The purpose of this study was to assess the ability of a unilaterally applied ankle weight to drive locomotor adaptation and determine the effect of context (treadmill versus overground) in young, non-disabled participants.MethodsEighteen young non-disabled adults were randomly assigned to receive 10min of walking on a treadmill with a weight (TG), overground with a weight (OG) or as a control on a treadmill/overground without a weight (CG). Outcomes measured before, during and after adaptation were: step length symmetry, single limb support symmetry and gait speed.ResultsAfter adding the weight, single limb support immediately became asymmetrical for all participants without changes in step length symmetry. After walking for 10min, TG step length became asymmetrical. After weight removal, both TG and OG had increased step length asymmetry. TG decreased single limb support asymmetry while OG did not. After walking overground without the weight, walking parameters eventually returned to baseline in both weighted groups. The control group showed no changes.ConclusionA unilaterally applied ankle weight appears able to cause gait adaptation in young, non-disabled participants. However different adaptive changes in the gait pattern are made by the nervous system when the perturbation is applied in different contexts.

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Impaired perceived timing of falls in the elderly

Publication date: January 2018
Source:Gait & Posture, Volume 59
Author(s): Julian Lupo, Michael Barnett-Cowan
Falls are the leading cause of injury-related deaths and hospitalizations, with older adults at an increased risk. As humans age, physical changes and health conditions make falls more likely. While we know how the body reflexively responds to prevent injury during a fall, we know little about how people perceive the fall itself. We previously found that young adults required a fall to precede a comparison sound stimulus by approximately 44ms to perceive the two events as simultaneous. This may relate to common anecdotal reports suggesting that humans often describe distortions in their perception of time − time seems to slow down during a fall – with very little recollection of how and when the fall began. Here we examine whether fall perception changes with age. Young (19–25y) and older (61–72y) healthy adults made temporal order judgments identifying whether the onset of their fall or the onset of a comparison sound came first to measure the point of subjective simultaneity. Results show that fall perception is nearly twice as slow for older adults, where perturbation onset has to precede sound onset by ∼88ms to appear coincident, compared to younger adults (∼44ms). We suggest that such age-related differences in fall perception may relate to increased fall rates in older adults. We conclude that a better understanding of how younger versus older adults perceive falls may identify important factors for innovative fall prevention strategies and rehabilitative training exercises to improve fall awareness.

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Nervous system excitability and joint stiffness following short-term dynamic ankle immobilization

Publication date: January 2018
Source:Gait & Posture, Volume 59
Author(s): Alyssa M. Stirling, Jeffrey M. McBride, Edward K. Merritt, Alan R. Needle
Joint immobilization has been demonstrated to modify neural excitability in subsets of healthy populations, leading to disinhibition of cortical and reflexive pathways. However, these findings may have limited clinical application as most models have investigated casting and rigid immobilization, while many musculoskeletal injuries often utilize dynamic immobilization devices such as boot immobilizers and pneumatic splints that allow for modified ambulation. We therefore aimed to determine the short-term effects of ambulation in ankle immobilization devices on nervous system excitability and stiffness in able-bodied individuals. A repeated-measures design was implemented where 12 healthy individuals were tested for cortical excitability to the ankle musculature using transcranial magnetic stimulation, reflexive excitability using the Hoffmann reflex, and ankle joint stiffness using arthrometry before and after 30min of ambulation with a boot immobilizer, pneumatic leg splint, or barefoot. Motor evoked potential (MEP), cortical silent period (CSP), Hmax to Mmax ratio, and ankle joint displacement were extracted as dependent variables. Results indicated that despite the novel motor demands of walking in immobilization devices, no significant changes in cortical excitability (F≥0.335, P≥0.169), reflexive excitability (F≥0.027, P≥0.083), or joint stiffness (F≥0.558, P≥0.169) occurred. These findings indicate that short-term ambulation in dynamic immobilization devices does not modify neural excitability despite forced constraints on the sensorimotor system. We may therefore conclude that modifications to neural excitability in previous immobilization models are mediated by long-term nervous system plasticity rather than acute mechanisms, and there appear to be no robust changes in corticomotor or spinal excitability acutely posed by ambulation with immobilization devices.

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Effects of high-heeled footwear on static and dynamic pelvis position and lumbar lordosis in experienced younger and middle-aged women

Publication date: January 2018
Source:Gait & Posture, Volume 59
Author(s): Jan Schroeder, Karsten Hollander
There is still conflicting evidence about the effect of high-heeled footwear on posture, especially if methodological confounders are taken into account. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of high-heeled footwear on lumbopelvic parameters in experienced younger and middle-aged women while standing and walking. Thirty-seven experienced younger (n=19:18–25 years) and middle-aged (n=18:26–56 years) women were included in this randomized crossover study. Using a non-invasive back shape reconstruction device (rasterstereography), static (pelvic tilt and lumbar lordosis angle) and dynamic (pelvic rotation, median lumbar lordosis angle and range of motion) parameters representing pelvis position and lumbar curvature were measured. In order to analyse standing and walking on a treadmill (0.83m/s), the effects of high-heels (7–11cm) were compared to standard control shoes. There were no effects on the lumbar lordosis angle or range of motion under static or dynamic conditions (p>0.05, d≤0.06). But there was a small effect for a reduced pelvic tilt (p=0.003, d=0.24) and a moderate effect for an increased transversal pelvic rotation (p=0.001, d=0.63) due to high heel shoed standing or walking, respectively. There were no significant age-group or interaction effects (p>0.05).Altered pelvic parameters may be interpreted as compensatory adaptations to high-heeled footwear rather than lumbar lordosis adaptations in experienced wearers. The impact of these findings on back complaints should be revisited carefully, because muscular overuse as well as postural load relieving may contribute to chronic consequences. Further research is necessary to examine clinically relevant outcomes corresponding to postural alterations.

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Towards an objective assessment of motor function in sub-acute stroke patients: Relationship between clinical rating scales and instrumental gait stability indexes

Publication date: January 2018
Source:Gait & Posture, Volume 59
Author(s): P. Tamburini, D. Mazzoli, R. Stagni
The assessment of walking function alterations is a key issue to design effective rehabilitative interventions in sub-acute stroke patients. Nevertheless, the objective quantification of these alterations remains a challenge.Clinical rating scales are commonly used in clinical practice, but have been proven prone to errors associated to the evaluator subjective perception. On the other hand, instrumental measurement of trunk acceleration can be exploited for an objective quantitative characterization of gait function, but it is not applied in routine clinical practice, because the resulting quantitative indexes have not been related to the clinically information, conventionally provided by the rating scales. To overcome this limitation, the relationship between the indexes, in specific clinical conditions, and rating scale must be better investigated, to support their exploitability in the clinical practice as a fast and reliable screening tool.Thirty-one sub-acute stroke patients (17 with and 14 without cane) participated in the study. All were assessed with 6 rating scales (MI, TCT, MRI, FAC, WHS, CIRS) and 2 functional tests (2MWT and TUG). Sample Entropy (SEN) and Recurrence Quantification Analysis (RQA) in AP, ML and V directions were calculated over 2MWT and walking section of TUG. The influence of assessment task and cane was analysed, as well as correlation of SEN and RQA indexes with clinical rating scales.SEN and RQA on the medio-lateral plane resulted influenced by the use of the cane, while the correlations between indexes and clinical scales showed that SEN and RQA for antero-posterior direction correlate positively with WHS.

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Is the reliability of 3D kinematics of young obese participants dependent on the hip joint center localization method used?

Publication date: January 2018
Source:Gait & Posture, Volume 59
Author(s): Brian Horsak, Caterine Schwab, Christoph Clemens, Arnold Baca, Susanne Greber-Platzer, Alexandra Kreissl, Andreas Kranzl
The aim of this study was to investigate if the test-retest reliability for three-dimensional (3D) gait kinematics in a young obese population is affected by using either a predictive (Davis) or a functional (SCoRE) hip joint center (HJC) localization approach. A secondary goal was to analyze how consistent both methods perform in estimating the HJC position. A convenience sample of ten participants, two females and eight males with an age-based body mass index (BMI) above the 97th percentile (mean±SD: 34.2±3.9kg/m²) was recruited. Participants underwent two 3D gait analysis sessions separated by a minimum of one day and a maximum of seven days. The standard error of measurement (SEM) and the root mean square error (RMSE) of key kinematic parameters along with the root mean square deviation (RMSD) of the entire waveforms were used to analyze the test-retest reliability. To get an estimate of the consistency of both HJC localization methods, the HJC positions determined by both methods were compared to each other. SEM, RMSE, and RMSD results indicate that the HJC position estimations between both methods are not different and demonstrate moderate to good reliability to estimate joint kinematics. With respect to the localization of the HJC, notable inconsistencies ranging from 0 to 5.4cm were observed. In conclusion, both approaches appear equally reliable. However, the inconsistent HJC estimation points out, that accuracy seems to be a big issue in these methods. Future research should attend to this matter.

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Πληροφορίες

Πέμπτη 9 Νοεμβρίου 2017