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Semin Speech Lang 2003; 24(2): 093-106
DOI: 10.1055/s-2003-38901
Copyright © 2003 by Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc., 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA. Tel.: +1(212) 584-4662

A Neurobehavioral Approach to Dysprosody

John J. Sidtis1,2 , Diana Van Lancker Sidtis1,3
  • 1Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, New York University, New York, New York
  • 2Department of Psychiatry, New York University, New York, New York
  • 3Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, New York University, New York, New York
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Publication History

Publication Date:
23 April 2003 (online)

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ABSTRACT

Much of the recent emphasis on prosody (the melody and rhythm of speech) and its disorders (dysprosody) has been on cognitive-affective functions attributed to cortical areas of the right cerebral hemisphere, with little further behavioral or neuroanatomical specification. This focus is inappropriately narrow both from the perspectives of neuropathogenesis and neurobehavioral phenomenology, and it is based on a limited view of prosody. Current models of brain organization for prosody propose lateralized representation based on functional (affective vs. linguistic) or featural (timing vs. pitch) properties of prosodic material. However, a role for subcortical structures in prosody is being increasingly described, and prosodic functions are now known to span a broad range in communication. In this article we describe normal prosody and present an overview of neurobehavioral disorders associated with acquired adult dysprosody. From these considerations we propose a neurobehavior-based approach to a more effective study of prosodic disturbance, and eventually, to better insight into normal prosody.

KEYWORDS

Prosody - basal ganglia - dysprosody - speech - affect

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