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Induced fatigue effects on velopharyngeal closure force
1Department of Speech & Hearing Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 61820, USA. d-kuehn@uiuc.edu
Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research : JSLHR
|April 11, 2000
Summary
This study induced velopharyngeal fatigue in healthy speakers using external air pressure loads. Higher loads generally increased fatigue rates, with some subjects reaching exhaustion.
Area of Science:
- Speech Science
- Physiology
- Biomechanics
Background:
- Velopharyngeal closure is crucial for speech production.
- Understanding velopharyngeal fatigue is important for diagnosing and treating speech disorders.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of induced velopharyngeal fatigue in individuals with normal speech mechanisms.
- To quantify the relationship between external loading and velopharyngeal fatigue rates.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a force-sensing bulb and intramuscular electrodes to measure velopharyngeal closure force and muscle activation.
- Subjects repeated the syllable /si/ under varying levels of external nasal air pressure (0-35 cm H2O).
- Fatigue was quantified as the slope of linear regression fit to force data over syllable repetitions.
Main Results:
- Induced velopharyngeal fatigue was achievable in most subjects.
- Higher external air pressure loads (25 and 35 cm H2O) generally resulted in greater fatigue rates.
- Two subjects (1 male, 1 female) reached exhaustion at higher pressure levels; three showed minimal fatigue.
Conclusions:
- External loading can effectively induce velopharyngeal fatigue in healthy speakers.
- Fatigue rates increase with higher external loads.
- Individual variability in fatigue response exists, with no significant sex-based differences observed.
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