Discussed in this book is the association between speech and movements, especially those of the preferred hand. Both are skilled motor activities that appear to depend upon a similar neural organization that is available in the left hemisphere of the brain. The nature of this association of the cerebral control of speech and skilled manual performance is discussed in four sections: 1. Motor control and speech examines speech as a motor activity 2. Language and gesture examines the correspondence between spoken language and manual gesture 3. Motor performance and aphasia examines the motor impairments associated with aphasias 4. Interactions of speech and manual performance examines the interactions that occur between concurrent verbal and manual activities

Wenner-Gren Center International Symposium Series, Volume 36: Speech Motor Control covers the papers presented at an interdisciplinary conference on Speech Motor Control, held at the Wenner-Gren Center in Stockholm on May 11 to 12, 1981. The book focuses on the methodologies, approaches, processes, and techniques employed in speech motor control. The selection first offers information on the interdisciplinary challenge of speech motor control and analogies between central motor programs for speech and for limb movements. Discussions focus on regulation of cerebral motor cortex output by afferent input, goal-orientation and voluntary movement, interaction of transcortical and segmental reflexes, plasticity of speech gestures, and the task of the speech motor system. The text then takes a look at speech production mechanisms in aphasia and functional landscapes in the cerebral cortex related to speech, as well as motor errors and phonetic transcription studies and correlational analysis of consonant preferences in infants, languages, and aphasic errors. The publication ponders on functional landscapes in the cerebral cortex related to speech; comment on the partial roles of the cerebral hemispheres for speech; and speech breathing kinematics and mechanism inferences. The text also ponders on the aspects of voice production and motor control, vocal fold kinesiology, and oral mechanoreceptors. The text is a dependable reference for readers interested in speech motor control.

The brain ... There is no other part of the human anatomy that is so intriguing. How does it develop and function and why does it sometimes, tragically, degenerate? The answers are complex. In Discovering the Brain, science writer Sandra Ackerman cuts through the complexity to bring this vital topic to the public. The 1990s were declared the "Decade of the Brain" by former President Bush, and the neuroscience community responded with a host of new investigations and conferences. Discovering the Brain is based on the Institute of Medicine conference, Decade of the Brain: Frontiers in Neuroscience and Brain Research. Discovering the Brain is a "field guide" to the brainâ€"an easy-to-read discussion of the brain's physical structure and where functions such as language and music appreciation lie. Ackerman examines: How electrical and chemical signals are conveyed in the brain. The mechanisms by which we see, hear, think, and pay attentionâ€"and how a "gut feeling" actually originates in the brain. Learning and memory retention, including parallels to computer memory and what they might tell us about our own mental capacity. Development of the brain throughout the life span, with a look at the aging brain. Ackerman provides an enlightening chapter on the connection between the brain's physical condition and various mental disorders and notes what progress can realistically be made toward the prevention and treatment of stroke and other ailments. Finally, she explores the potential for major advances during the "Decade of the Brain," with a look at medical imaging techniquesâ€"what various technologies can and cannot tell usâ€"and how the public and private sectors can contribute to continued advances in neuroscience. This highly readable volume will provide the public and policymakersâ€"and many scientists as wellâ€"with a helpful guide to understanding the many discoveries that are sure to be announced throughout the "Decade of the Brain."

This collection presents the latest and most important theoretical developments in the area of speech motor control. It presents state-of-the art research in the areas of modelling genetics, brain imaging and behavioral experimentation in addition to clinical applications.

In this, the post-genomic age, our knowledge of biological systems continues to expand and progress. As the research becomes more focused, so too does the data. Genomic research progresses to proteomics and brings us to a deeper understanding of the behavior and function of protein clusters. And now proteomics gives way to neuroproteomics as we beg