Sensors, Vol. 24, Pages 2629: Identification of the Biomechanical Response of the Muscles That Contract the Most during Disfluencies in Stuttered Speech

Sensors, Vol. 24, Pages 2629: Identification of the Biomechanical Response of the Muscles That Contract the Most during Disfluencies in Stuttered Speech Sensors doi: 10.3390/s24082629 Authors: Edu Marin Nicole Unsihuay Victoria E. Abarca Dante A. Elias Stuttering, affecting approximately 1% of the global population, is a complex speech disorder significantly impacting individuals’ quality of life. Prior studies using electromyography (EMG) to examine orofacial muscle activity in stuttering have presented mixed results, highlighting the variability in neuromuscular responses during stuttering episodes. Fifty-five participants with stuttering and 30 individuals without stuttering, aged between 18 and 40, participated in the study. EMG signals from five facial and cervical muscles were recorded during speech tasks and analyzed for mean amplitude and frequency activity in the 5–15 Hz range to identify significant differences. Upon analysis of the 5–15 Hz frequency range, a higher average amplitude was observed in the zygomaticus major muscle for participants while stuttering (p < 0.05). Additionally, when assessing the overall EMG signal amplitude, a higher average amplitude was observed in samples obtained from disfluencies in participants who did not stutter, particularly in the depressor anguli oris muscle (p < 0.05). Significant differences in muscle activity were observed between the two groups, pa...
Source: Sensors - Category: Biotechnology Authors: Tags: Article Source Type: research