Abstract
Arts speech therapy (AST) is a therapeutic method within complementary medicine and has been practiced for decades for various medical conditions. It comprises listening and the recitation of different forms of speech exercises under the guidance of a licensed speech therapist. The aim of our study was to noninvasively investigate whether different types of recitation influence hemodynamics and oxygenation in the brain and skeletal leg muscle using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). Seventeen healthy volunteers (eight men and nine women, mean age ± standard deviation 35.6 ± 12.7 years) were enrolled in the study. Each subject was measured three times on different days with the different types of recitation: hexameter, alliteration, and prose verse. Before, during, and after recitation, relative concentration changes of oxyhemoglobin (Δ[O2Hb]), deoxyhemoglobin (Δ[HHb]), total hemoglobin (Δ[tHb]), and tissue oxygenation saturation (StO2) were measured in the brain and skeletal leg muscle using a NIRS device. The study was performed with a randomized crossover design. Significant concentration changes were found during recitation of all verses, with mainly a decrease in Δ[O2Hb] and ΔStO2 in the brain, and an increase in Δ[O2Hb] and Δ[tHb] in the leg muscle during recitation. After the recitations, significant changes were mainly increases of Δ[HHb] and Δ[tHb] in the calf muscle. The Mayer wave spectral power (MWP) was also significantly affected, i.e., mainly the MWP of the Δ[O2Hb] and Δ[tHb] increased in the brain during recitation of hexameter and prose verse. The changes in MWP were also significantly different between hexameter and alliteration, and hexameter and prose. Possible physiological explanations for these changes are discussed. A probable reason is a different effect of recitations on the sympathetic nervous system. In conclusion, these changes show that AST has relevant effects on the hemodynamics and oxygenation of the brain and muscle.
Highlights
Language is one of the most important abilities in man, and enables one to communicate and transmit even abstract content and meaning to others
As there is indication that arts speech therapy (AST) has clinical effects, and as it has been shown that speech and verbal tasks affect brain physiology, the aim of our study was to noninvasively investigate whether different types of speech, namely recitation of hexameter, alliteration, and prose, influence hemodynamics and oxygenation in the brain and skeletal leg muscle using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS)
The following statistically significant hemodynamic and oxygenation changes were found: 1. During the speech intervention, a decrease in Δ[O2Hb] and StO2 compared to baseline was observed in all three types of recitation
Summary
Language is one of the most important abilities in man, and enables one to communicate and transmit even abstract content and meaning to others. Speech and language highly depend on intact brain functions. Language and speech processing have been investigated mostly with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and electroencephalography (EEG). Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) has been increasingly used in different studies to investigate brain physiology. Speech and language are far less investigated in adults, with studies on verbal fluency, laterality, and language production[3,4,5], and are mainly in patients with psychiatric disorders[6,7,8,9]. Considering that speech therapy becomes increasingly important in both child development and rehabilitation, more research and knowledge about speech therapy is desirable. While the first focuses on pronunciation and articulation[10], the latter is used to induce various processes in the patients, mainly related to respiration and blood circulation[11]
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