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Biomedical subjects

R L Ringel

Publications and source records attributed to R L Ringel.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1988

Task-specific organization of activity in human jaw muscles.

Coordination of jaw muscle activity for speech production sometimes has been modeled using nonspeech behaviors. This orientation has been especially true in representations of mandibular movement in which the synergy of jaw muscles for speech production has been suggested to be derived from the central pattern generator (CPG) for chewing. The present investigation compared the coordination of EMG activity in mandibular muscles over a range of speech and nonspeech tasks. Results of a cross-correlational analysis between EMG signals demonstrated that the muscle synergies of the mandibular system depend on task demands. Contrary to some of the models discussed, continuous speech production yielded activation patterns that were clearly not related to coordinative patterns generated by the chewing CPG.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Physiological fitness measures and sensory and motor performance in aging.

This study investigated relationships between a multivariate index of physiological fitness and the degree of age-related sensory and motor performance deterioration observed in a group of 70 male subjects (age 63 +/- 12 years). Physiological fitness was determined by reducing a battery of resting pulmonary, hemodynamic and biochemical variables to a single score, the Index of Physiological Status (IPS). In addition, where possible, maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) was predicted from submaximal values using a standard treadmill procedure. Both IPS and VO2 scores were significantly correlated with age (p less than .01). High scores on the IPS were associated with faster reaction times, improved hearing at high frequencies, greater phonatory control and improved lens accommodation. In contrast, VO2 measures were found to be insensitive to changes in sensory and motor performance. While all subjects were able to complete the tests required for the generation of the IPS, 33% of the participants were unable to complete the treadmill protocol required for estimation of VO2max. These data suggest that a simple noninvasive instrument for the evaluation of physiological fitness, which is applicable to almost all elderly subjects, may be more sensitive to age-related sensory and performance changes than more traditional exercise based measures which require the exclusion of less healthy subjects.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Effects of physiological aging on selected acoustic characteristics of voice.

The relationship between age-related changes in body physiology and certain acoustic characteristics of voice was studied in a sample of 48 men representing three chronological age groupings (25-35, 45-55, and 65-75) and two levels of physical condition (good and poor). A fundamental frequency analysis program (SEARP) was used to measure mean fundamental frequency, jitter, shimmer, and phonation range from samples of connected speech and sustained vowel production. Subjects in good physical condition produced maximum duration vowel phonation with significantly less jitter and shimmer and had larger phonation ranges than did subjects of similar chronological ages who were in poor physical condition. These differences were most apparent in the productions of the elderly subjects. While chronological aging is undoubtedly a contributor to such changes in the acoustic characteristics of voice, these results suggest that age-related changes in body physiology, or physiological aging, also must be considered.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Vocal shadowing under conditions of normal and altered laryngeal sensation.

Five adult male subjects vocally matched the pitches of tones in a steady-state tone matching task (SSTMT) and vocally shadowed frequency changes in a frequency modulated tone matching task (FMTMT). Matching was done in both a normal condition and a condition of topical anesthesia of the laryngeal mucosa. Pitch matching accuracy was not seriously altered in the anethesia condition, but anesthetized subjects required more time and had slower velocities in effecting transitions between tones on the FMTMT, as compared to normal. In both conditions there was a direct proportionality between interval size and each of the time and velocity variables examined, while frequency lowering was generally faster than frequency raising. Analysis of subject response strategies on the FMTMT revealed recurring patterns, described here as Overshoot, Undershoot, Oscillate and Hit. Fewer Hit, and more Oscillate, patterns were observed for the anesthesia condition as compared to normal. It was concluded that the FMTMT, as compared to the SSTMT, required finer and more rapid laryngeal control to coordinate respiratory driving pressures and glottal resistance, and hence was more susceptible to impairment of the laryngeal mucosal reflexogenic system. Implications of the data for modeling certain mechanical and physiological aspects of laryngeal control are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1976

A cineradiographic study of articulation in two talkers with temporarily induced oral sensory deprivation.

Cineradiography was used to study the behavior of the lips, tongue, and mandible in two subjects talking normally and under the influence of trigeminal nerve-block anesthesia. The speech sample consisted of isolated words and sentences. The nerve block was administered to eliminate somesthetic sensation in all of the oral articulators except the jaw. Frame-by-frame measurements of lip protrusion, tongue position, and jaw placement were taken from the film data for selected stops, glides, fricatives, and vowels in the speech sample. Comparison of these measurements from the normal and nerve-block condition revealed the following changes in the nerve-block data: (1) reduction in context-appropriate lip protrusion and loss of precision in lip closure activity, which was more noticeable for the upper than the lower lip; (2) a reduction in the precision of tongue articulations particularly on contacts for lingua-alveolar and lingua-velar consonants, apical retroflexion on glides, and steady state postures for lingua-palatal fricatives and vowels; and (3) noticeable alterations in inferior/superior jaw position which was systematically closer to the maxilla for bilabial consonant closures and often reduced or extended in excursion for vowels and other consonants. The data are discussed in terms of the relative effects of an oral somesthetic feedback deficit on speech production, and also with respect to compensation within the articulatory system under conditions of sensory deprivation.

Adult↗
PubMed1975

The effect of oral sensory deprivation on stuttering behavior.

To assess the role of oral sensation in the execution of a stuttering moment, six adult male stutterers, ranging in severity, provided samples of spontaneous speech in three experimental conditions: control, anesthetic, and placebo. In the anesthetic condition, sensory deprivation of the oral cavity was achieved by means of a series of nerve-block injections. The placebo condition involved insertions of a hypodermic needle but no anesthetic solution was injected. The speech samples were analyzed for frequency of stuttering by dysfluency type. In addition, severity ratings were made for all identified dysfluencies. The results indicated that oral sensory deprivation was associated with a significant increase in the frequency and severity of stuttering. This effect was particularly evident in the class of dysfluencies termed "prolonged articulatory postures." The results for the control and placebo conditions were not observed to differ. These findings were interpreted as evidence of both open-loop and feedback-dependent regulation processes during the moment of stuttering.

Adult↗