Proprioceptive Acuity Influences Speech Motor Control in Healthy Adult Talkers

Area of Science:

• Speech motor control
• Somatosensory feedback
• Proprioception

Background:

• Somatosensory feedback, including proprioception, is crucial for effective speech production.
• Understanding tongue proprioception is key to understanding speech motor control.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the proprioceptive acuity of the tongue using a position-matching task.
• To determine the impact of tongue proprioceptive acuity on speech motor control in healthy adults.

Main Methods:

• Twenty-five young adults completed a tongue position-matching task using electromagnetic articulography.
• Participants repeated sentences with varying somatosensory feedback (tactile and proprioceptive vs. primarily proprioceptive).

Main Results:

• Significant variation in tongue proprioceptive acuity was observed among participants.
• Higher proprioceptive acuity was linked to smaller, slower tongue movements and greater speech movement stability.
• Lower proprioceptive acuity resulted in reduced speech movement stability, particularly in conditions with less tactile feedback.

Conclusions:

• Tongue proprioceptive acuity can be reliably assessed via a position-matching task.
• Proprioceptive acuity is associated with more efficient speech movements and enhanced speech movement stability.
• The impact of proprioceptive acuity is more pronounced in speech tasks with reduced tactile feedback.