Speech Restoration Research Articles

Modified Wiener Filter Based Speech Restoration with Autocorrelation of Isolated Kannada Word Speech Recognition

Modified Wiener Filter Based Speech Restoration with Autocorrelation of Isolated Kannada Word Speech Recognition

LARYNGEAL CANCER:QUALITY OF LIFE AMONG PATIENTS UNDERWENT TOTAL LARYNGECTOMY

Introduction: Laryngeal cancer is an important health problem causing negative effects on patients’ quality of life (QOL). Objectives: The aim of this research is to study QOL of the patients with laryngeal cancer who underwent TL, laryngectomees, and to study impact of early speech restoration on QOL of these patients. Subjects and methods: A case-control, hospital- based study design was used. A total number of 90 laryngectomees and a control group of the same number were enrolled in this research. Results: The laryngectomees had a significantly poorer self-reported health-related QOL domain scores than the controls on all eight Short Form (SF)-36 domains (P=0.000). Also, the laryngectomees with primary/secondary tracheoesophageal puncture (TEP) had significantly poorer self-reported health-related QOL domain scores than the controls on all eight SF-36 domains (P=0.000). Further, patients with primary TEP had significantly higher self-reported health-related QOL domain scores than the patients with secondary TEP on the social functioning, emotional limitation and mental health domain scores of SF-36 QOL with statistically significant differences (P=0.003, 0.006 and 0.019; respectively). Conclusions: Voice restoration is an important essentiality for the laryngectomees. Primary TEP is preferred over secondary TEP. Recommendations: More studies are needed on large number of patients to understand the impact of the laryngeal cancer and consequent of its therapy on QOL of these patients on short and long term.

LARYNGEAL CANCER:QUALITY OF LIFE AMONG PATIENTS UNDERWENT TOTAL LARYNGECTOMY

Introduction: Laryngeal cancer is an important health problem causing negative effects on patients’ quality of life (QOL). Objectives: The aim of this research is to study QOL of the patients with laryngeal cancer who underwent TL, laryngectomees, and to study impact of early speech restoration on QOL of these patients. Subjects and methods: A case-control, hospital- based study design was used. A total number of 90 laryngectomees and a control group of the same number were enrolled in this research. Results: The laryngectomees had a significantly poorer self-reported health-related QOL domain scores than the controls on all eight Short Form (SF)-36 domains (P=0.000). Also, the laryngectomees with primary/secondary tracheoesophageal puncture (TEP) had significantly poorer self-reported health-related QOL domain scores than the controls on all eight SF-36 domains (P=0.000). Further, patients with primary TEP had significantly higher self-reported health-related QOL domain scores than the patients with secondary TEP on the social functioning, emotional limitation and mental health domain scores of SF-36 QOL with statistically significant differences (P=0.003, 0.006 and 0.019; respectively). Conclusions: Voice restoration is an important essentiality for the laryngectomees. Primary TEP is preferred over secondary TEP. Recommendations: More studies are needed on large number of patients to understand the impact of the laryngeal cancer and consequent of its therapy on QOL of these patients on short and long term.

Role of working memory and lexical knowledge in perceptual restoration of interrupted speech.

The role of working memory (WM) capacity and lexical knowledge in perceptual restoration (PR) of missing speech was investigated using the interrupted speech perception paradigm. Speech identification ability, which indexed PR, was measured using low-context sentences periodically interrupted at 1.5 Hz. PR was measured for silent gated, low-frequency speech noise filled, and low-frequency fine-structure and envelope filled interrupted conditions. WM capacity was measured using verbal and visuospatial span tasks. Lexical knowledge was assessed using both receptive vocabulary and meaning from context tests. Results showed that PR was better for speech noise filled condition than other conditions tested. Both receptive vocabulary and verbal WM capacity explained unique variance in PR for the speech noise filled condition, but were unrelated to performance in the silent gated condition. It was only receptive vocabulary that uniquely predicted PR for fine-structure and envelope filled conditions. These findings suggest that the contribution of lexical knowledge and verbal WM during PR depends crucially on the information content that replaced the silent intervals. When perceptual continuity was partially restored by filler speech noise, both lexical knowledge and verbal WM capacity facilitated PR. Importantly, for fine-structure and envelope filled interrupted conditions, lexical knowledge was crucial for PR.

COMPARISON FOR SPEECH CODING ALGORITHMS FOR TOTAL LARYNGECTOMIES

Electrolarynx is used as a noninvasive supporting device for speech restoration in people who have undergone resection operation over their larynxes. This work aims to develop a signal processing method to neutralize the mechanical vibration noise of this device. We investigate the effect of this noise on the speech signal and analyze the performances of various algorithms in a single input system to minimize this noise. Article DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.20319/mijst.2017.32.433444 This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-commercial 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA.

Working memory capacity and lexical knowledge in perceptual restoration of interrupted speech

Role of working memory capacity (WMC) and lexical knowledge in perceptual restoration (PR) of missing speech was investigated using the interrupted speech perception (ISP) paradigm. 75 young normal hearing listeners’ speech identification was measured using low-context sentences interrupted by silence and three noise at 1.5 Hz. Noise conditions created by manipulating the spectro-temporal content of filler noise were as follows: (1) low frequency (LF) speech shaped noise (SSN), (2) temporal fine structure filled (TFSf) noise consisting of LF TFS from the missing speech, and (3) temporal envelope filled (TEf) noise consisting of LF TE extracted from the missing speech. WMC was measured using verbal reading span and visuospatial symmetry span. Lexical knowledge was assessed using standard vocabulary and meaning from context tests. We hypothesized that during noise filled ISP conditions WM mechanism is crucial for retrieving and integrating relevant information from long-term memory. Results showed that ISP ...

A model-based soft decision approach for speech enhancement

Many speech enhancement algorithms that deal with noise reduction are based on a binary masking decision (termed as the hard decision), which may cause some regions of the synthesized speech to be discarded. In view of the problem, a soft decision is often used as an optimal technique for speech restoration. In this paper, considering a new fashion of speech and noise models, we present two model-based soft decision techniques. One technique estimates a ratio mask generated by the exact Bayesian estimators of speech and noise. For the second technique, we consider one issue that an optimum local criterion (LC) for a certain SNR may not be appropriate for other SNRs. So we estimate a probabilistic mask with a variable LC. Experimental results show that the proposed method achieves a better performance than reference methods in speech quality.

Tracheoesophageal speech restoration: issues for training and clinical support

ObjectiveThe management of tracheoesophageal speech (TES) is complex and invasive in nature. The current study was designed to examine the nature and perceived adequacy of clinical preparation and ongoing training currently available to clinicians working in this clinical field. A secondary aim was to explore associated workplace staffing and supports available to clinician’s across different services in order to consider additional factors impacting service delivery.MethodsA secure online survey was distributed to individuals who were the main clinician responsible for managing caseloads that included patients using TES.ResultsResponses were received from 32 national centres providing TES services. Results suggested that access to support and training is meeting needs. A desire for more advanced-level professional development opportunities in TES management was indicated.ConclusionIssues from this national cohort study highlight positive results regarding availability of access to introductory clinical skills training in this field. Further enhancements could be achieved through development of advance/complex management training opportunities.

Neurolinguistic and machine-learning perspectives on direct speech BCIs for restoration of naturalistic communication

The ultimate goal of brain-computer-interface (BCI) research on speech restoration is to develop devices which will be able to reconstruct spontaneous, naturally spoken language from the underlying neuronal signals. From this it follows that thorough understanding of brain activity and its functional dynamics during real-world speech will be required. Here, we review current developments in intracranial neurolinguistic and BCI research on speech production under increasingly naturalistic conditions. With an example of neurolinguistic data from our ongoing research, we illustrate the plausibility of neurolinguistic investigations in non-experimental, out-of-the-lab conditions of speech production. We argue that interdisciplinary endeavors at the interface of neuroscience and linguistics can provide valuable insight into the functional significance of speech-related neuronal data. Finally, we anticipate that work with neurolinguistic corpora composed of real-world language samples and simultaneous neuronal recordings, together with machine-learning methodology accounting for the specifics of the neurolinguistic material, will improve the functionality of speech BCIs.

Perceptual restoration of masked speech in human cortex.

Humans are adept at understanding speech despite the fact that our natural listening environment is often filled with interference. An example of this capacity is phoneme restoration, in which part of a word is completely replaced by noise, yet listeners report hearing the whole word. The neurological basis for this unconscious fill-in phenomenon is unknown, despite being a fundamental characteristic of human hearing. Here, using direct cortical recordings in humans, we demonstrate that missing speech is restored at the acoustic-phonetic level in bilateral auditory cortex, in real-time. This restoration is preceded by specific neural activity patterns in a separate language area, left frontal cortex, which predicts the word that participants later report hearing. These results demonstrate that during speech perception, missing acoustic content is synthesized online from the integration of incoming sensory cues and the internal neural dynamics that bias word-level expectation and prediction.

SPEECH THERAPY CONSULTANCY FOR FAMILY MEMBERS OF PATIENTS WITH APHASIA

The participation of the patient’s family with aphasia in the process of speech therapy is necessary and essential prerequisite for speech recovery. However, our society is not sufficiently informed about aphasia. As a result, the family members of a person with aphasia often do not know how to deal with a relative who has lost his/her speech. As a consequence, there is oftena misunderstanding regarding the patient’s activities and behavior. The essential content of the speech therapy consultancy with the family members of the patients with aphasia is introduced in the article. The authors stress the importance of providing information to the family members of people with aphasia, regarding aphasia symptoms and its overcoming features. Particularly it is mentioned, that aphasia is not an indication of a mental disorder or dementia. In case of aphasia, the social and speech isolation of a person who has lost his/her speech, is troubling. In the article, recommendations aimed at the establishment of contact between the patient and his/her relatives, as well as increasing the effectiveness of speech restoration process are introduced. Following the speech therapy recommendations will help the relatives to avoid common mistakes in the process of communication, which cause psychological harm. Taking into account the fact, that the speech restoration is a long-lasting process, the article also provides examples of assignments and exercises for supporting the speech restoration at home. The essential goal of speech therapy consultation is the establishment of speech-communication environment, which supports the restoration of speech and communication of patients with aphasia.

Neoglottis reconstruction with sternohyoid muscles on upper-tracheal orifice after laryngectomy.

Ideal speech restoration remains a difficult challenge for patients undergoing laryngectomy so far. Our aim was to explore the feasibility of neoglottic reconstruction with sternohyoid muscles on upper-tracheal orifice after total laryngectomy which can obtain relatively ideal voice rehabilitation. Fifteen male patients are laryngectomized, of whom eight with standard total laryngectomy and seven underwent nonstandard total laryngectomy with epiglottis conserved. After laryngectomy, the upper margin of the anterior hypopharyngeal mucosa (postcricoid mucosa) was stitched to the posterior margin of upper-tracheal orifice and a triangle-shaped neoglottis on upper-tracheal orifice was reconstructed using bilateral sternohyoid muscles near the hyoid bone which were sutured to the posterior wall and bilateral of upper-tracheal orifice. Then tracheolingual root anastomosis was done and reconstruction surgery was completed. Finally, a satisfactory voice was achieved in 14 of 15 patients except one whose neoglottis is stenosed and 11 cases had no severe complications including aspiration erroneous deglutition. The stomach catheters were removed successfully from 4 to 6weeks after surgery in 11 cases, respectively. The neoglottis had to be closed in three patients because of aspiration problem. One neoglottis was closed 3weeks after surgical reconstruction because of tracheal rings tear which created a bigger neoglottis. One neoglottis was removed 32 moths after total laryngectomy due to big neoglottis. Another one was closed 3weeks after surgery by reason of the fear of aspiration without psychological preparation. Therefore, it is feasible to use the sternohyoid muscles for creation of a neoglottis on upper-tracheal orifice and provide an alternative surgical method of the voice restoration for the patients after laryngectomy.

Establishing phonation using the Blom® tracheostomy tube system: A report of three cases post cervical spinal cord injury

Objective: Mechanically ventilated patients with cervical spinal cord injury (CSCI) have few options for verbal communication in the acute phase post injury. Leak speech and one-way speaking valves can restore laryngeal airflow; however, both methods require deflation of the tracheostomy cuff which is not always possible. The Blom® tracheostomy tube system (Blom® TTS) provides an option for restoring speech while maintaining cuff inflation, through insertion of a flexible tapered speech cannula into a fenestrated outer cannula. Two studies have reported on the speech achieved with this tube, yet these focused on mixed clinical groups and only examined immediate changes to communication. Longer-term use and patient perceptions of communicating with this system have not been reported.Methods: This paper describes the introduction of the Blom® TTS into three individuals with tetraplegia following CSCI and follows their outcomes throughout their intensive care admission.Results: The tube was successfully placed in two of the three participants. Of these two, phonation was easily established and high levels of patient-perceived comfort and ease and quality of voicing were found when speaking and breathing with the Blom® speech cannula in situ. One patient was sensitive to respiratory changes imposed by the three different inner cannulas of the Blom® TTS and did not complete weaning with the speech cannula in situ.Conclusions: The current research adds support for early restoration of speech via a cuffed tracheostomy during mechanical ventilation in the intensive care unit. Long-term use however identified some potential issues with patient tolerance and safety of the different inner cannulas which may need to be considered for longer-term clinical management. The cases highlight differences in use of the Blom® TTS depending on the degree of respiratory impairment and prognosis for weaning following CSCI.

A multidisciplinary approach for the treatment of complication of hematogenous osteomyelitis in children

Background.Severe orthopedic complications of osteomyelitis occurred in 22%–71.2% of children with osteomyelitis in previous studies. At the same time 26.5% of children with complications of osteomyelitis, according to data of The Turner Scientific and Research Institute for Children’s Orthopedics, have multiple bone lesions. The challenges involved in the orthopedic treatment of musculoskeletal system disorders are diverse and complex. In some cases, inadequate attention is paid to the need to treat the facial bones of the skull, temporomandibular joint (TMJ), and jaw bones.Aim.The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the need for a variety of options and to determine the best strategies for comprehensive medical rehabilitation, involving orthopedic and maxillofacial surgeons and other healthcare providers, for children with complications of osteomyelitis, who had destruction of the long tubular bones of the jaw.Materials and methods.Between 2011 and 2015 26 children (10 males and 16 females) aged 1.5–17 years with multiple localized lesions after osteomyelitis were treated in The Turner Scientific and Research Institute for Children’s Orthopedic. In addition to severe orthopedic disorders, there has been a loss of TMJ, which resulted in severe functional impairment and impaired development of the facial bones of the skull.Results.There was a individualized approach to the treatment of pediatric patients with complications of osteomyelitis. Early diagnosis and proper treatment prevented severe changes in the musculoskeletal system and maxillofacial area in pediatric patients.Conclusion.The modern concept of comprehensive medical rehabilitation of children with complications of osteomyelitis should include an interdisciplinary approach involving orthopedic and maxillofacial surgeons. Early diagnosis in children ensures the timely formation of individualized rehabilitation programs, designed to improve the anatomical and functional characteristics of the affected bones. Along with comprehensive orthopedic treatment, bone-reconstructive surgery of the facial bones of the skull should be focused on restoration of chewing function, external respiration, speech, and facial esthetics.

SPEECH THERAPY CONSULTANCY FOR FAMILY MEMBERS OF PATIENTS WITH APHASIA

The participation of the patient’s family with aphasia in the process of speech therapy is a necessary and essential prerequisite for speech recovery. However, our society is not sufficiently informed about aphasia. As a result, the family members of a person with aphasia often do not know how to deal with a relative who has lost his/her speech. As a consequence, there is frequently a misunderstanding regarding the patient’s activities and behavior. The essential content of the speech therapy consultancy with the family members of the patients with aphasia is introduced in the article. The authors stress the importance of providing information to the family members of people with aphasia, regarding aphasia symptoms and its overcoming features. Particularly it is mentioned, that aphasia is not an indication of a mental disorder or dementia. In case of aphasia, the social and speech isolation of a person who has lost his/her speech, is troubling. In the article, recommendations aimed at the establishment of contact between the patient and his/her relatives, as well as increasing the effectiveness of speech restoration process are introduced. Following the speech therapy recommendations will help the relatives to avoid common mistakes in the process of communication, which cause psychological harm. Taking into account the fact, that the speech restoration is a long-lasting process, the article also provides examples of assignments and exercises for supporting the speech restoration at home. The essential goal of speech therapy consultation is the establishment of speech-communication environment, which supports the restoration of speech and communication of patients with aphasia.

REHABILITATION OF PATIENTS WITH APHASIA USING MODIFIED RESTORATION METHODS

Backgroud: There is a high prevalence of vascular diseases of the brain in adult population. One of the most severe complications of the cerebral vascular diseases is an aphasia leading to patient’s disability. An extremely severe and unreversible condition for further rehabilitation is noted in a group of patients which develops an impressive speech impairment as a dominant disturbance associated with aphasia. Aim: To identify the most effective rehabilitation method for patients with complications of cerebral circulation disturbances manifesting as speech impairment in a form of aphasia. Materials and methods: Theoretical aspect of rehabilitation in post-stroke aphasia patients with a dominant impressive speech impairment was studied. All patients underwent neurologic examination, dynamic logopedic observation, and magnetic resonance imaging. The patients of the chosen group underwent rehabilitation with a modified modality of speech restoration. Results: Introduction of the modified rehabilitation methods into the logopedics practice proved their high efficiency. Significant improvement was seen in 64% of patients with acoustic-amnestic aphasia, in 57% of patients with acoustic-gnostic aphasia, and in 60% of those with semantic aphasia. Conclusion: A key moment for achievement of the high rehabilitation outcome is a complex approach needed for rehabilitation of patients with the consequences of the acute impairments of cerebral circulation.

The restoration of speech in patients with aphasia depending on the manifestations of carotid atherosclerosis in stroke

To study an effect of stenosing lesions of carotid arteries on the recovery of speech functions in acute stroke patients. Medical histories of 253 patients (median age 58 [52,63]) with acute left hemispheric ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke and motor or sensorimotor aphasia were analyzed. The severity of atherosclerotic lesion of brachiocephalic arteries was assessed using color duplex scanning. According to the results of duplex scanning, patients were divided into 3 groups: 1 - without stenosis of extracranial arteries; 2 - with ≤50% stenosis of carotid arteries; 3 - with >50% stenosis of carotid arteries. Stenosis greater than 50% (group 3) was a predictor of the poor recovery of speech function while stenosis less than 50% (groups 1 and 2) had no effect on the outcome. The severe atherosclerosis of carotid arteries had a negative effect on speech recovery in acute stroke patients.

On Homotopy Continuation for Speech Restoration.

In this paper, a homotopy-based method is employed for the recovery of speech recordings from missing or corrupted samples taken in a noisy environment. The model for the acquisition device is a compressed sensing scenario using Gabor frames. To recover an approximation of the speech file, we used the basis pursuit denoising method with the homotopy continuation algorithm. We tested the proposed method with various speech recordings.

Modified custom-made laryngectomy stoma prosthesis

Introduction: A tracheo-oesophageal valve for speech restoration is commonly used following total laryngectomy. Limitations include leakage around the prosthesis, granuloma formation and lack of retention due to poor tissue integrity and altered anatomy post-surgery. This poses a significant challenge when using conventional rehabilitation techniques and patient focused adaptations are necessary.We present the use of a custom-made laryngectomy stoma prosthesis to improve functional voice restoration.

RAPID RESTORATION OF MOTORIC FUNCTION IN A POST-STROKE FEMALE PATIENT

Event Abstract Back to Event RAPID RESTORATION OF MOTORIC FUNCTION IN A POST-STROKE FEMALE PATIENT Kelsey Brenner1, Paula Rhodes1 and Susan Esposito1* 1 Life University, United States Background: A fifty seven year old female presented to a functional neurology unit of a chiropractic clinic for evaluation and treatment of left-sided hemiparesis sustained subsequent to a right-sided middle cerebral artery infarct two weeks prior. She utilized a cane for ambulation, exhibiting the characteristic spastic circumduction gait. She complained of loss of sensation on the left side of her face and body, had a deficit of short-term memory, and felt fatigued and depressed. Methods: Speech was dysarthric and slow. All sensation was absent on the left side of her face and body. She was unable to use her left hand for grasping or reaching and had poor to no control of her left leg and foot. Treatment included gaze stabilization exercises, saccades and pursuits, sensory stimulation of upper and lower extremities, complex movements, supine gait training, and mirror box therapy. She was seen twice a week for 8 weeks, and diligently performed home exercises. Results: By third visit, the patient regained motor control of her left fingers. By the seventh visit she regained motor control and sensation of the left side of her tongue. At the eighth visit, the patient could run with her arms raised overhead, she had full control of her left hand and fingers, and she had a restoration of normal speech. Conclusion: With each visit, large gains in function were noted, culminating after 8 weeks in resolution of all signs and symptoms. Near complete and rapid resolution of left hemiparesis in this case points to the importance and effectiveness of early functional neurological intervention in cases of stroke. Further research in functional neurologic treatment in the early stages post-stroke is warranted. Keywords: Funnctional Neurology, stroke rehabilitation, Hemi-paresis, Memory Disorders, Chiropractic Conference: International Symposium on Clinical Neuroscience: TBI and Neurodegeneration, Orlando, Florida, United States, 10 Dec - 14 Dec, 2015. Presentation Type: Poster Presentation Topic: Case Reports for Poster Presentation Citation: Brenner K, Rhodes P and Esposito S (2015). RAPID RESTORATION OF MOTORIC FUNCTION IN A POST-STROKE FEMALE PATIENT. Front. Neurol. Conference Abstract: International Symposium on Clinical Neuroscience: TBI and Neurodegeneration. doi: 10.3389/conf.fneur.2015.58.00036 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 31 Oct 2015; Published Online: 02 Nov 2015. * Correspondence: Dr. Susan Esposito, Life University, Marietta, Georgia, 30060, United States, susan.esposito@life.edu Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Kelsey Brenner Paula Rhodes Susan Esposito Google Kelsey Brenner Paula Rhodes Susan Esposito Google Scholar Kelsey Brenner Paula Rhodes Susan Esposito PubMed Kelsey Brenner Paula Rhodes Susan Esposito Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.