The evolution of speech communication devices for anarthria: a review

Anarthria is a lack of verbal communication caused by physiological disturbances in the motor pathway. While affected individuals retain the ability to comprehend and produce speech, orofacial paralysis renders them unable to execute speech. Anarthria can be caused by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, stroke, traumatic brain injury, and other etiologies that affect the descending motor pathway. A wide range of technologies has been developed and tested to improve communication efficiency for patients with anarthria and accompanying paralysis. This review evaluates three key eras of communication device development. First, before implantation devices gained traction, many communication devices revolved around blinks, head and eye tracking, and non-invasive brain recording. Second, implanted cortical neuroprosthetics were designed to improve accuracy and speed of communication. Finally, the review analyzes the future era, where accessibility, patient comfort, and broader applications of neural analysis elevate communication for patients with anarthria to match fluid communication. Restoring speech communication in patients with anarthria is vital to improve their quality of life. Therefore, understanding communication device efficiency and its future trajectory is of utmost clinical importance.