Palatal Shape Research Articles

Speech adaptation to palatal perturbation: Evidence for sensorimotor reorganization across the workspace

Competent speakers demonstrate a high degree of precision in speech production, but also considerable flexibility in speech motor patterns used to attain speech goals. This flexibility is evident in studies examining adaptation to sensory perturbations, including physical manipulations that alter both auditory and somatosensory feedback (e.g., using a palatal prosthesis to disrupt the production of the alveolar fricative /s/). While the acoustic effects of such perturbations (and subsequent adaptation) have been well explored, their underlying articulatory basis remains poorly understood. In this study, we explored speech adaptation to a palatal perturbation in 9 adult speakers using acoustic and articulatory measures of adaptation (using electromagnetic articulography) during the production of various consonants and vowels. Acoustic measures showed effects of both the perturbation and subsequent compensation (following 15 minutes of speech practice) across the consonants and vowels. Analysis of tongue kinematics confirmed the global nature of these effects, including significant changes in sounds involving no physical interaction with the palate. Furthermore, directional analyses revealed a degree of fine-tuning in motor adaptation across phonemes. The findings indicate that even localized changes in palate shape induce complex compensatory changes in speech motor control across the articulatory workspace.

Geometric morphometric analysis of the palatal morphology in growing subjects with skeletal open bite.

To assess the morphological shape variations of the palatal vault in Open Bite (OB) growing subjects when compared with a Control Group (CG) by means of Geometric Morphometric Method (GMM). The OB Group (OBG) consisted of 75 subjects (39 females, 36 males; mean age: 8.5 ± 0.8 years) who were collected retrospectively with the following inclusion criteria: European ancestry, overbite less than 0 mm, mixed dentition stage, prepubertal skeletal maturation (CS1-CS2), hyperdivergent skeletal pattern (SN^GoGn > 37°). The OBG was compared with a CG of 46 prepubertal subjects presenting normal occlusion (24 females, 22 males; mean age of 8.3 ± 1.7 years). For each subject, lateral cephalograms and maxillary dental casts were available. Landmarks and semilandmarks were digitized on digital dental casts and GMM was applied. Procrustes analysis and principal component analysis (PCA) were performed. OBG was divided in two subgroups: Sucking Habits Group (SHG) (39 subjects) and Non-Sucking Habits Group (NSHG) (36 subjects). PC1 showed significant morphological changes in transverse and vertical dimensions with OBG palates higher and narrower when compared with CG. When comparing the two subgroups no statistically significant differences were found. NSHG demonstrated a slight reduction of the transverse dimension and a deeper palatal vault respect to SHG. The limitations of this study were the division of OBG in two subgroups based on referral of thumb sucking habits without assessing the duration and the intensity of thumb sucking. OB subjects presented with a significant constriction of the maxillary arch when compared with CG. The morphological palatal shape variations in OBG were not influenced by the presence or absence of non-nutritive sucking habits.

Modeling the effect of palate shape on the articulatory-acoustics mapping.

Articulatory variability is reduced for people with flatter palates [Bakst and Lin (2015). Proceedings of the 18th International Congress of Phonetic Sciences; Brunner, Fuchs, and Perrier (2009). J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 125(6), 3936-3949]. Brunner, Fuchs, and Perrier [(2009). J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 125(6), 3936-3949] hypothesized that this is because the mapping between articulation and acoustics depends on palate depth. Articulatory synthesis was used with three different palate shapes to generate productions of /r/. The parameter spaces of the articulatory synthesizers were searched for vocal tract configurations that result in low F3 (the hallmark acoustic cue for /r/). Palate shape influences not only the sensitivity of the articulatory-acoustic mapping, but also the effect of each individual articulatory parameter on F3.

Contrasting patterns of RUNX2 repeat variations are associated with palate shape in phyllostomid bats and New World primates

Establishing the genetic basis that underlies craniofacial variability in natural populations is one of the main topics of evolutionary and developmental studies. One of the genes associated with mammal craniofacial variability is RUNX2, and in the present study we investigated the association between craniofacial length and width and RUNX2 across New World bats (Phyllostomidae) and primates (Catarrhini and Platyrrhini). Our results showed contrasting patterns of association between the glutamate/alanine ratios (Q/A ratio) and palate shape in these highly diverse groups. In phyllostomid bats, we found an association between shorter/broader faces and increase of the Q/A ratio. In New World monkeys (NWM) there was a positive correlation of increasing Q/A ratios to more elongated faces. Our findings reinforced the role of the Q/A ratio as a flexible genetic mechanism that would rapidly change the time of skull ossification throughout development. However, we propose a scenario in which the influence of this genetic adjustment system is indirect. The Q/A ratio would not lead to a specific phenotype, but throughout the history of a lineage, would act along with evolutionary constraints, as well as other genes, as a facilitator for adaptive morphological changes.

Palate shape and articulatory range

Using the Wisconsin X-ray microbeam corpus, this paper explores the relationship between palate shape in the saggital plane and articulatory variation. The corpus has been updated with tags (Praat Textgrids) marking the acoustic onsets and offsets of words and phones. In addition, the sound files have been translated to WAV format, and the articulatory data saved as plain text files. The shape of the palate for each of 57 speakers of American English was measured in terms of the total 2D area of the palate vault above the occlusal plane. Articulatory variability was measured in terms of the interquartile ranges of the x and y locations of 7 pellets attached to the tongue (4 pellets), lips (upper and lower), and jaw. Although there is a significant correlation between palate area and the range of motion of some articulators (particularly on the body of the tongue, but surprisingly to this author, not the motion of the jaw), the study also finds that there is a great deal of variation among speakers. Articulatory motions involved in particular speech sounds will also be examined to determine if there are specific patterns of variation associated with the palate size.

Modelling human hard palate shape with Bézier curves

People vary at most levels, from the molecular to the cognitive, and the shape of the hard palate (the bony roof of the mouth) is no exception. The patterns of variation in the hard palate are important for the forensic sciences and (palaeo)anthropology, and might also play a role in speech production, both in pathological cases and normal variation. Here we describe a method based on Bézier curves, whose main aim is to generate possible shapes of the hard palate in humans for use in computer simulations of speech production and language evolution. Moreover, our method can also capture existing patterns of variation using few and easy-to-interpret parameters, and fits actual data obtained from MRI traces very well with as little as two or three free parameters. When compared to the widely-used Principal Component Analysis (PCA), our method fits actual data slightly worse for the same number of degrees of freedom. However, it is much better at generating new shapes without requiring a calibration sample, its parameters have clearer interpretations, and their ranges are grounded in geometrical considerations.

A pilot- cross sectional study of palatal Rugae shape and direction among Egyptians and Malaysians

BackgroundTo evaluate the role of different morphological palatal rugae patterns (palatal print) as a tool for personal identification.MethodA pilot cross-sectional study was carried out on 60 Egyptian subjects and 60 Malaysian subjects. All were above 6 years old, nonsmokers and were sharing the same dietary habits. Palatal impressions were taken from the subjects and a rugogram was issued. Many parameters were included in the rugogram. Rugae shape, direction and unification pattern were the main parameters involved. Modified Trobo classification and Thomas & Kotz classification were used.ResultsThe present study revealed that lines, sinouses and curve shaped rugae were the most frequent rugae patterns among both Egyptians and Malaysians. Forward directed and divergent rugae were more frequent than backwardly directed and convergent rugae among both groups. No significant differences regarding rugae shape, direction and unification status among both sexes in each group were observed. Curve shaped rugae, sinous shaped rugae and complexly shaped rugae were significantly higher in the Malaysian males compared to Egyptian males. Malaysian females had a significant greater number of sinuous shaped rugae than the Egyptian females while the Egyptian females had a greater number of line-shaped rugae than the Malaysian females.ConclusionsThis present pilot study revealed that Egyptians and Malaysians shared specific characteristic rugae patterns and direction. Sexual dimorphism was not evident among both populations regarding rugae shape, direction and unification status.

The association between soft palate shape and Need's ratio in various sagittal skeletal malocclusions: A digital lateral cephalometric study

Aim: The present study was aimed to investigate the variation of soft palate morphology and Need's ratio in various sagittal skeletal malocclusions. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted on 300 individuals (aged 15–25 years) who presented to the department of orthodontics for orthodontic treatment. The participants were divided into skeletal Class I, II, and III based on ANB angle on the lateral cephalogram. The soft palate morphology was examined and individuals were grouped into six types. The Need's ratio was calculated for all the participants by division of pharyngeal depth by soft palate length. The results were then subjected to statistical analysis to find the association between morphological variants of soft palate and skeletal malocclusions. Results: The most common type of soft palate was leaf shaped and the least common was S shaped. Leaf-shaped soft palate was the most common in males and rat tail-shaped soft palate was common in females. Individuals with skeletal Class I malocclusion were most frequently found to have leaf-shaped soft palate, skeletal Class II malocclusion had rat tail type, and skeletal Class III had leaf shape and crooked shape in equal proportions. Need's ratio was maximum in skeletal Class III and minimum in Class II malocclusions. Conclusions: There was a significant correlation between the variants of soft palate and the types of skeletal malocclusion in North Indian individuals. The knowledge of morphological variants of soft palate helps the clinician in etiological study of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, snoring, and other conditions.

Morphological assessment of palatal rugae pattern in a Turkish subpopulation

The objective of this study was to demonstrate the palatal rugae patterns in a sample Turkish subpopulation. Orthodontic dental casts of 126 patients (66 females and 60 males, 10–22 years old) were analyzed for rugae characteristics. Palatal rugae pattern and number, direction of rugae alignment and shape of incisive papilla were noted. Modified Thomas and Kotze classification was performed to analyze palatal rugae shape patterns. The data were analyzed using Mann Whitney U and Pearson’s chi-square tests. The most common rugae shape in the Turkish subpopulation was wavy types (44.2%) of rugae palatina, whereas straight (9.4%) and annular (2.5%) types were the least common. There was a significant difference between sexes for right primary rugae shape (P < 0.05). The mean number of primary and secondary rugae between sexes did not differ significantly (P > 0.05). The most common direction of palatal rugae alignment was horizontal, and droplet shape was the most common type of incisive papilla. All palatal rugae patterns were unique for each subject. The palatal rugae pattern can probably be used as an additional indicator for sex determination and human identification in forensic sciences.

Morphometric covariation between palatal shape and skeletal pattern in Class II growing subjects.

To evaluate the patterns of covariation between palatal and craniofacial morphology in Class II subjects in the early mixed dentition by means of geometric morphometrics. A cross-sectional sample of 85 Class II subjects (44 females, 41 males; mean age 8.7 years ± 0.8) was collected retrospectively according to the following inclusion criteria: European ancestry (white), Class II skeletal relationship, Class II division 1 dental relationship, early mixed dentition, and prepubertal skeletal maturation. Pre-treatment digital 3D maxillary dental casts and lateral cephalograms were available. Landmarks and semilandmarks were digitized (239 on the palate and 121 on the cephalogram) and geometric morphometric methods (GMM) were applied. Procrustes analysis and principal component analysis (PCA) were performed to reveal the main patterns of palatal shape and craniofacial skeletal shape variation. Two-block partial least squares analysis (PLS) assessed patterns of covariation between palatal morphology and craniofacial morphology. For the morphology of the palate, the first principal component (PC1) described variation in all three dimensions. For the morphology of the craniofacial complex, PC1 showed shape variation mainly in the vertical direction. Palatal shape and craniofacial shape covaried significantly (RV coefficient: 0.199). PLS1 accounted for more than 64 per cent of total covariation and related divergence of the craniofacial complex to palatal height and width. The more a Class II subject tended towards high-angle divergence, the narrower and higher was the palate. Class II high-angle patients tended to have narrower and higher palates, while Class II low-angle patients were related to wider and more shallow palates.

Palatal morphology changes in post-stroke patients measured by geometric morphometrics.

This study aimed to describe longitudinal palatal shape changes in post-stroke patients when compared to a sample of healthy subjects through linear measurements and geometric morphometrics. The 3D palatal scanned models of seven stroke patients having a 1-year post-stroke follow-up were matched with seven control subjects of the same age group (range 50-87 years). Intercanine, intermolar distances and palatal height were measured. 3D images were also analysed through geometric morphometrics to assess changes in the shape of the palate from T0 to T1 (1 year after the stroke). Principal component analysis was used to describe shape morphology changes, and visual colour maps were used to qualitatively assess differences between T0 and T1. No changes were detected nor in linear measures neither in palatal shape in healthy subjects from T0 to T1. The palates of stroke patients showed no linear differences either. However, when visualising shape changes through colour maps, the lateral aspects of the palatal vault were slightly narrower in T1, with respect to T0 in stroke patients. This may be attributed to altered tongue function following the stroke.

Influence of orotracheal intubation on preterm infant palate shape between 12 and 24 months old

Introduction: Mechanical ventilation (MV) is indicated in diverse clinical situations in which the individual develops acute or chronic respiratory failure. Objective: To eva- luate the palate shape of preterm infants aged 12 to 24 months who were submitted to orotracheal intubation (OTI) and mechanical ventilation. Methods: This cross-sectional observational study included preterm infants submitted to MV by OTI for at least seven days, who weighed less than 2000 g at birth, and were attended at the Preterm Infant Care Outpatient Clinic of the University Hospital of the University of São Paulo and the Premature Infant Outpatient Clinic of the Children’s Institute of the Clinics Hospital of the School of Medicine of the University of São Paulo. Sociodemographic data were collected from neonatal medical records of the participating children. The oral cavity was examined to classify palate shape into square, narrow or ovoid. Statistical analyses were performed using the ANOVA F, Kruskal-Wallis and Chi-square tests, with a 5% significance level. Results: The mean period of OTI was 25.3 ± 25.8 days, and the children presented a significantly higher percentage of narrow shaped palate (p&lt;0.001). Conclusion: The palate in preterm infants submitted to invasive MV by OTI is predominantly narrow and deep.

Language is not isolated from its wider environment: Vocal tract influences on the evolution of speech and language

Language is not a purely cultural phenomenon somehow isolated from its wider environment, and we may only understand its origins and evolution by seriously considering its embedding in this environment as well as its multimodal nature. By environment here we understand other aspects of culture (such as communication technology, attitudes towards language contact, etc.), of the physical environment (ultraviolet light incidence, air humidity, etc.), and of the biological infrastructure for language and speech. We are specifically concerned in this paper with the latter, in the form of the biases, constraints and affordances that the anatomy and physiology of the vocal tract create on speech and language. In a nutshell, our argument is that (a) there is an under-appreciated amount of inter-individual variation in vocal tract (VT) anatomy and physiology, (b) variation that is non-randomly distributed across populations, and that (c) results in systematic differences in phonetics and phonology between languages. Relevant differences in VT anatomy include the overall shape of the hard palate, the shape of the alveolar ridge, the relationship between the lower and upper jaw, to mention just a few, and our data offer a new way to systematically explore such differences and their potential impact on speech. These differences generate very small biases that nevertheless can be amplified by the repeated use and transmission of language, affecting language diachrony and resulting in cross-linguistic synchronic differences. Moreover, the same type of biases and processes might have played an essential role in the emergence and evolution of language, and might allow us a glimpse into the speech and language of extinct humans by, for example, reconstructing the anatomy of parts of their vocal tract from the fossil record and extrapolating the biases we find in present-day humans.

Acquired palatal groove and delayed oral feeding in preterm infants.

Acquired palatal groove has been reported in the 1970s and 1980s, but its current incidence in Japanese newborns is unclear. The aims of this study were to determine the incidence of palatal groove in preterm infants and to evaluate whether this condition affects oral feeding ability. We conducted a prospective observational study among very low-birthweight infants born at Takatsuki General Hospital, Osaka, between March and October in 2010. The shape of the hard palate was classified into three types: normal, narrow high-arched palate, and palatal groove. Among the 37 enrolled infants, 14 (38%) had palatal groove. In particular, among the 29 infants with birthweight <1000 g, palatal groove was observed in 48% of these patients, and only 10% were normal. Infants with palatal groove were ventilated for considerably more days with oral endotracheal tube than those without palate groove, even after adjustment for gestational age, birthweight, and duration of oral duodenal tube placement (OR, 1.11). Establishment of oral feeding and disappearance of choking on milk were considerably delayed in infants with palatal groove. Transient oral feeding difficulty requiring thickened-feed intervention was observed only in infants with palatal groove; on multi-regression analysis this difficulty seemed to be induced by the palatal groove. Palatal groove formation induced by oral endotracheal intubation occurs with a high frequency in preterm infants, and this is likely to affect oral feeding ability.

Modeling the effect of palate shape on the articulatory-acoustics mapping

Previous research [Brunner et al. (2009, JASA 125(6), 3936-3949) and Bakst & Lin (ICPhS 2015)] shows that articulatory variability is reduced for people with flatter palates. Brunner et al. (2009) hypothesized that this is because the mapping between articulation and acoustics is more linear for flatter than for more domed palates; in order to maintain similar levels of acoustic consistency, people with flatter palates must be more articulatorily precise than people with more domed palates. A revised version of the Maeda synthesizer was used to model how vocal tract anatomy influences the mapping of articulation onto acoustics, using American English /r/ as a test case. A retroflex-able tongue tip was added to the synthesizer. Two additional palate shapes were also added to the synthesizer, and a script was used to search the articulatory-acoustic space for vocal tract configurations that resulted in a low F3 (the hallmark acoustic cue for /r/) for each palate. Palate shape influences not only the overall sensitivity of the articulatory-acoustic mapping, but also the effect of each individual articulatory parameter on F3.

Morphometric covariation between palatal shape and skeletal pattern in children and adolescents: a cross-sectional study.

To assess shape covariation of the palate and craniofacial complex (CFC) in children and adolescents. Pre-treatment lateral cephalometric radiographs and corresponding maxillary casts of 100 children (8-10 years) and 100 adolescents (15-20 years) were digitized. Exclusion criteria were previous orthodontic treatment, craniofacial syndromes, mouth breathing, finger sucking, crossbite, tooth agenesis, and tooth impaction. Palatal shape was described with 239 surface and curve semilandmarks and craniofacial shape with 10 fixed landmarks and 117 curve semilandmarks. Procrustes superimposition and principal component analysis were applied for evaluation of shape variability. Shape covariation between palate and CFC was assessed with partial least squares analysis. The first five principal components explained 77 per cent (palate) and 60 per cent (CFC) of total shape variability. The palate varied mainly in height (adolescent group) and width-length (both groups), whereas the CFC varied mainly in the vertical dimension. Significant covariation was found between the craniofacial and palatal components (RV coefficient: 0.27, children; RV: 0.23, adolescents). Variation of the CFC in the vertical and anteroposterior direction was mainly related to variation in the height-width and the width-length ratio of the palate, respectively. The use of lateral cephalometric radiographs eliminated the transverse dimension from the craniofacial shape analysis. The study was cross-sectional, so the observed intergroup differences should be interpreted with caution. Covariation strength and pattern were similar in children and adolescents. The closer a subject was to the high-angle end of the variability spectrum, the higher and narrower was the palate, and conversely.

Conformation du lambeau antébrachial en arche sur mesure pour la reconstruction du voile du palais. Cas clinique

Reconstruction of the soft palate after oncologic resection remains a surgical challenge. Speech and swallowing problems are the consequences of velopharyngeal incompetence following soft palate resection. Free tissue transfer like radial forearm flaps can be used in larger defects for complex reconstruction. The conformation of the flap in order to be closer to the shape of the soft palate improves the functional outcome. In the same way, we describe an original "double-arched" flap design. A double arch of the exact length of the soft palate tumor resection is designed. After suturing, the flap spontaneously formed a double arch of the exact dimensions of the resected piece. The patient achieved good functional recovery without any surgical complications. The original "double-arched" forearm flap design allows a tailored reconstruction with exactly the same shape and dimensions, preserving the functional requirements of speech and deglutition.

Palate size and shape in schizophrenia

The palate is considered typical of the structures in which schizophrenia-related minor physical anomalies may occur. In this study, we aimed to compare the dimensions and form of palate in patients with schizophrenia with nonpsychiatric controls in a blinded manner. Dental stone casts of 127 patients with schizophrenia and 127 controls were prepared from impressions of the maxillary dental arch. Palate dimensions were measured on the stone casts using a digital caliper and palatometer. Palate length did not differ significantly between the groups, but there was a significant difference in palate width and depth, which were significantly higher in the schizophrenia group. As a result of using multivariate analysis for assessing independent risk factors affecting patients with schizophrenia, furrowed palate shape, palate width, and ellipsoid maxillary dental arch shape were found to be significant. This study also revealed that patients with schizophrenia demonstrate certain gender-related predilections in the differences of palate parameters compared to same-sex controls. As the palate develops in conjunction with both the face and brain, our study findings can significantly contribute to the assumption that there might be structural abnormalities of the palate that could represent specific markers of embryological dysmorphogenesis underlying schizophrenia.

Factors associated with mouth breathing in children with -developmental -disabilities.

To investigate the prevalence and factors associated with mouth breathing among patients with developmental disabilities of a dental service. We analyzed 408 dental records. Mouth breathing was reported by the patients' parents and from direct observation. Other variables were as -follows: history of asthma, bronchitis, palate shape, pacifier use, thumb -sucking, nail biting, use of medications, gastroesophageal reflux, bruxism, gender, age, and diagnosis of the patient. Statistical analysis included descriptive analysis with ratio calculation and multiple logistic regression. Variables with p < 0.25 were included in the model to estimate the adjusted OR (95% CI), calculated by the forward stepwise method. Variables with p ​​< 0.05 were kept in the model. Being male (p = 0.016) and use of centrally acting drugs (p = 0.001) were the variables that remained in the model. Among patients with -developmental disabilities, boys and psychotropic drug users had a greater chance of being mouth breathers.

Modeling the effect of palate shape on the articulatory-acoustics mapping

Author(s): Bakst, Sarah; Johnson, Keith | Abstract: Previous research [1, 2] shows that articulatory variability is reduced for people with flatter palates. It has been hypothesized [1] that this is because the mapping between articulation and acoustics is more linear for flatter than for more domed palates. A combination of two synthesizers were used to model how vocal tract anatomy influences the mapping of articulation onto acoustics, using American English /r/ as a test case. A retroflexable tongue tip was added to the articulatory parameters. Two additional palate shapes and a sublingual cavity that appears during /r/ production were also added to the synthesizer. A Python script searched the articulatory-acoustic space for vocal tract configurations that resulted in a low F3 (the hallmark acoustic cue for /r/) for each palate. Palate shape influences not only the overall sensitivity of the articulatory-acoustic mapping, but also the effect of each individual articulatory parameter on F3.