ANATOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF THE VOCAL TRACT--MRI PROCEDURES

声道结构在整个生命周期中促进言语交流和食物摄入的功能。特别是在婴儿期、幼儿期和青春期，这些结构的大小、形状和相对配置发生变化，影响它们对口腔运动功能的参与。 尽管解剖重塑的证据令人信服，但对该过程细节的了解却非常有限。 这项研究有两个主要目标：（1）研究声道生长正常的儿童声道结构的解剖发育情况； (2) 将正常生长儿童的研究结果与记录在案的语言障碍儿童的数据进行比较，语言障碍部分归因于染色体畸变继发的特征性结构差异，即 21 三体性。这些目标将通过使用磁共振成像 (MRI) 来实现，该技术适用于研究构成声道的软组织和硬组织。 该过程需要选择合适的 MR 图像，将这些图像数字化，并利用图像测量软件获取头部和颈部区域 36 个预定义测量的数据。 所提出的测量集比任何已发布的数据源中的测量集更广泛，因此有望大幅增加有关声道生长和发育的信息。 对出生至 4 岁儿童的初步结果支持文献中的推论，即某些结构具有同步生长，并且这种协调生长在加速生长（生长突增）时期是明显的。要检查的具体问题包括： a) 硬组织和软组织的相对生长速度； b) 不同结构的协调发展；即生长同步（硬组织和软组织）； c) 生长突增以及生长突增的同步性； d) 记录和预测声道结构生长的理想指标； e) 声道结构生长的性别相关差异； f) 青春期前后生长模式的比较； g) 正常儿童和21三体儿童的解剖生长异同。该项目的正常方面重点包括4岁至18岁（成熟年龄）之间的受试者；紊乱方面的重点包括出生至21岁之间的唐氏综合症（DS）受试者。这项研究的结果有助于了解颅面发育，特别是在言语发展和言语产生领域具有理论和临床意义。

The vocal tract structures subserve the functions of speech communication and food ingestion throughout the lifespan. Especially during the periods of infancy, early childhood, and adolescence, these structures undergo changes in size, shape, and relative configuration that affect their participation in oral motor functions. Although the evidence for anatomic remodeling is compelling, knowledge of the details of the process is remarkably limited. This research has two primary goals: (1) to study the anatomic development of the vocal tract structures in children with normal vocal tract growth; and (2) to compare the findings from children with normal growth to data from children with documented speech disorders partially attributable to characteristic structural differences secondary to chromosomal aberration, namely Trisomy 21. These goals will be achieved through the use of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), which is suited for the study of both soft and hard tissues that comprise the vocal tract. The procedure entails the selection of suitable MR images, digitizing these images, and utilizing image measurement software to obtain data for 36 predefined measures of the head and neck regions. The measurement set proposed is more extensive than that in any published data source and therefore promises a substantial increase in information on vocal tract growth and development. Preliminary results from children between the ages of birth to 4 years support inferences from the literature that some structures have synchronous growth and that such coordinated growth is evident during periods of accelerated growth (growth spurts). Specific issues to examine include: a) the relative rates of growth of the hard and soft tissues; b) the coordinated growth of the different structures; i.e. synchrony in growth (both hard and soft tissues); c) growth spurts, and synchrony in growth spurts; d) the ideal index to document and predict the growth of the vocal tract structures; e) gender related differences in the growth of the vocal tract structures; f) comparison of growth patterns pre versus post adolescence; g) anatomic growth similarities and differences in normal children and children with Trisomy 21. The normal aspect focus of this project includes subjects between the ages 4 and 18 (age of maturity); the disordered aspect focus includes subjects with Down's syndrome (DS) between the ages birth to 21. The findings of this study contribute to knowledge on craniofacial development, and are of theoretical and clinical significance particularly in the areas of speech development and speech production.