Electromyographic studies of the function of the facial muscles in dysarthria

Abstract

The EMG activity picked up by needle electrodes from six facial muscles, mainly responsible for the labial articulation, was recorded simultaneously with the speech. Through repeated detailed studies on one speech—trained subject and analytic comparison between several individuals with normal articulation, we have gained knowledge of the normal neuromotor activity of the mimic musculature during speech. In this paper, we present the common characteristics of the EMG speech pattern of normal speakers compared with that of patients with organic dysarthria.