Date of Award

Spring 2019

Project Type

Thesis

Program or Major

Communication Sciences and Disorders

Degree Name

Master of Science

First Advisor

Donald A Robin

Second Advisor

Jenna L Campbell

Third Advisor

Amy E Ramage

Abstract

Childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) is a motor speech disorder characterized by segmentation (increased segment and intersegment duration), speech sound distortions and equal lexical stress. This study examined the effects of four weeks of Treatment for Establishing Motor Program Organization (TEMPO) in inducing experience-based changes in the brain. A fMRI resting state functional connectivity analysis was used in a single-subject pre- and post-TEMPO to quantify the changes associated with this treatment. Increases in connectivity strength between specific regions of the brain were observed, with the largest change in connectivity strength occurring between the left and right ventral premotor cortex (vPMC). These regions are known to be involved in speech motor programming. These results demonstrate the efficacy of TEMPO in inducing experience-based neural plastic changes, as well as provide the first data supporting the involvement of the left ventral premotor cortex in CAS.

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