Download PDF
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
Further Information

Publication History

Publication Date:
23 April 2003 (online)

Also available at
    Permissions and Reprints

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

REFERENCES

  • 1 Crystal D. Prosodic Systems and Intonation in English. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press; 1969
    Google Scholar
  • 2 Banse R, Scherer K R. Acoustic profiles in vocal emotion expression.  J Pers Soc Psychol . 1996;  70 614-636
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 3 Kreiman J, Vanlancker-Sidtis D, Gerratt B. Perception of voice quality. In: Pisoni D, Remez R, eds. Handbook of Speech Perception (in press)
    Google Scholar
  • 4 Laver J. The Phonetic Description of Voice Quality. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press; 1980
    Google Scholar
  • 5 Cutler A, Dahan D, van Donselaar W. Prosody in the comprehension of spoken language: a literature review.  Lang Speech . 1997;  40 141-201
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 6 Kreiman J. Listening to voices: theory and practice in voice perception. In: Johnson K, Mullenix JW, eds. Talker Variability in Speech Processing New York: Academic Press 1996: 85-108
    Google Scholar
  • 7 Van Lancker D, Kreiman J, Wickens T. Familiar voice recognition: parameters and patterns. Part II: Recognition of rate-altered voices.  J Phonetics . 1985;  13 39-52
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 8 Scherer K R. Personality markers in speech. In: Giles H, ed. Social Markers in Speech Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press 1979: 147-201
    Google Scholar
  • 9 Geiselman R E, Crawley J M. Incidental processing of speaker characteristics: voice as connotative information.  J Verbal Learning Verbal Behav . 1983;  22 15-23
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 10 Louth S M, Williamson S, Alpert M, Pouget E R, Hare R D. Acoustic distinctions in the speech of male psychopaths.  J Psycholinguist Res . 1998;  27 375-384
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 11 Alpert M. Encoding of feelings in voice. In: Clayton PJ, Barrett JE, eds. Treatment of Depressions: Old Controversies and New Approaches New York: Raven Press 1982: 217-228
    Google Scholar
  • 12 Vanlancker-Sidtis D. Auditory recognition of idioms by first and second speakers of English.  Appl Psycholinguist . 2003;  24 45-57
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 13 Van Lancker D. Rags to riches: our increasing appreciation of cognitive and communicative abilities of the human right cerebral hemisphere.  Brain Lang . 1997;  57 1-11
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 14 Breitenstein C, Daum I, Ackermann H. Emotional processing following cortical and subcortical brain damage: contribution of fronto-striatal circuitry.  Behav Neurol . 1998;  11 29-42
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 15 Kent R D, Rosenbek J. Prosodic disturbance and neurologic lesion.  Brain Lang . 1982;  15 259-291
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 16 Ross E D. The aprosodias: functional-anatomic organization of the affective components of language in the right hemisphere.  Arch Neurol . 1981;  38 561-569
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 17 Goodglass H, Kaplan E. Assessment of Aphasia and Related Disorders. Philadelphia: Lea and Febiger; 1972
    Google Scholar
  • 18 Monrad-Krohn G H. Dysprosody or altered "melody of speech." Brain .  1947;  70 405-415
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 19 Van Lancker D, Breitenstein C. Emotional dysprosody and similar dysfunctions. In: Bougousslavsky J, Cummings JL, eds. Disorders of Behavior and Mood in Focal Brain Lesions. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press 2000: 326-368
    Google Scholar
  • 20 Van Lancker D, Sidtis J J. The identification of affective-prosodic stimuli by left- and right-hemisphere-damaged subjects: all errors are not created equal.  J Speech Hear Res   1992;  35 963-970
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 21 Ross E D, Anderson B, Morgan-Fisher A. Crossed aprosodia in strongly dextral patients.  Arch Neurol . 1989;  46 206-209
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 22 Bowers D, Coslett H B, Bauer R M, Speedie L J, Heilman K M. Comprehension of emotional prosody following unilateral hemisphere lesions: processing defect versus distraction defect.  Neuropsychologia . 1987;  25 317-328
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 23 Tompkins C A. Automatic and effortful processing of emotional intonation after right or left hemisphere brain damage.  J Speech Hear Res . 1991;  34 820-830
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 24 Cancelliere A, Kertesz A. Lesion localization in acquired deficits of emotional expression and comprehension.  Brain Cogn . 1990;  13 133-147
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 25 Karow C M, Marquardt T P, Marshall R C. Affective processing in left and right hemisphere brain-damaged subjects with and without subcortical involvement.  Aphasiology . 2001;  15 715-729
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 26 Bhatia K P, Marsden C D. The behavioural and motor consequences of focal lesions of the basal ganglia in man.  Brain . 1994;  117 859-876
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 27 Tranel D. Neuropsychological correlates of cortical and subcortical damage. In: Yudofsky SC, Hales RE, eds. Textbook of Neuropsychiatry Volume II. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press 1992: 57-88
    Google Scholar
  • 28 Caplan L R, Schmahmann J D, Kase C S. Caudate infarcts.  Arch Neurol . 1990;  47133-47143
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 29 Van Lancker D, Pachana N A, Cummings J L, Sidtis J J, Erickson C. Dysprosodic speech following basal ganglia stroke: role of fronto-subcortical circuits.  J Int Neuropsychol Soc . 1996;  2 S5
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 30 Masterman D L, Cummings J L. Frontal-subcortical circuits: the anatomic basis of executive, social, and motivated behaviors.  J Psychopharmacol . 1997;  11 107-114
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 31 Lieberman P, Michaels S B. Some aspects of fundamental frequency and envelope amplitude as related to emotional content of speech.  J Acoust Soc Am . 1962;  34 922-927
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 32 Robinson G M, Solomon D J. Rhythm is processed by the speech hemisphere.  J Exp Psychol . 1974;  102 508-511
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 33 Pell M D. The temporal organization of affective and non-affective prosody in patients with right-hemisphere infarcts.  Cortex . 1999;  35 455-477
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 34 Breitenstein C, Van Lancker D, Daum I, Waters C. Impaired perception of vocal emotions in Parkinson's disease: influence of speech time processing and executive functioning.  Brain Cogn . 2001;  45 277-314
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 35 Sidtis J J, Volpe B T. Selective loss of complex-pitch or speech discrimination after unilateral cerebral lesion.  Brain Lang . 1988;  34 235-245
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 36 Zatorre R J. Pitch perception of complex tones and human temporal lobe function.  J Acoust Soc Am . 1988;  84 566-572
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 37 Sidtis J J, Feldmann E. Transient ischemic attacks presenting with a loss of pitch perception.  Cortex . 1990;  26 469-471
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 38 Sidtis J J. Music, pitch perception, and the mechanisms of cortical hearing. In: Gazzaniga MS, ed. Handbook of Cognitive Neuroscience New York: Plenum Press 1984: 91-114
    Google Scholar
  • 39 Van Lancker D. Cerebral lateralization of pitch cues in the linguistic signal.  Int J Hum Commun . 1980;  13 201-227
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 40 Gordon H. Hemispheric asymmetries for the perception of musical chords.  Cortex . 1970;  6 387-398
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 41 Van Lancker D, Fromkin V. Hemispheric specialization for pitch and "tone": evidence from Thai.  J Phonetics . 1973;  1 101-109
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 42 Ryalls J, Reinvang I. Functional lateralization of linguistic tones: acoustic evidence from Norwegian.  Lang Speech . 1986;  29 389-398
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 43 Van Lancker D, Fromkin V A. Cerebral dominance for pitch contrasts in tone language speakers and in musically untrained and trained English speakers.  J Phonetics . 1978;  6 19-23
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 44 Blumstein S, Cooper W. Hemispheric processing of intonation contours.  Cortex . 1974;  10 146-158
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 45 Ouellette G P, Baum S R. Acoustic analysis of prosodic cues in left- and right-hemisphere-damaged patients.  Aphasiology . 1993;  8 257-283
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 46 Bryden M, Ley R. Right-hemisphere involvement in the perception and expression of emotion in normal humans. In: Heilman K, Satz P, eds. Neuropsychology of Human Emotion New York: Guilford Press 1983: 6-44
    Google Scholar
  • 47 Milner B. Complementary functional specialization of the human cerebral hemispheres. In: Levi-Montalcini R, ed. Nerve Cells, Transmitters and Behavior Rome: Pontifica Academia Scientarium; 1980
    Google Scholar
  • 48 Gandour J, Wong D, Van Lancker D, Hutchens G. A PET investigation of speech prosody in tone languages.  Brain Lang . 1997;  12 207-222
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 49 Baum S R, Pell M D. The neural bases of prosody: insights from lesion studies and neuroimaging.  Aphasiology . 1999;  13 581-608
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 50 Baum S R, Pell M D. Production of affective and linguistic prosody by brain-damaged patients.  Aphasiology . 1997;  11 177-198
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 51 Myers P. Right Hemisphere Damage. San Diego, CA: Singular; 1999
    Google Scholar
  • 52 Borod J C. Cerebral mechanisms underlying facial, prosodic, and lexical emotional expression: a review of neuropsychological studies and methodological issues.  Neuropsychology . 1993;  7 445-463
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 53 Bowers D, Bauer R M, Heilman K M. The nonverbal affect lexicon: theoretical perspectives from neurological studies of affect perception.  Neuropsychology . 1993;  7 433-444
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 54 Borod J C, Rorie K D, Haywood C S. et al . Hemispheric specialization for discourse reports of emotional experiences: relationships to demographic, neurological, and perceptual variables.  Neuropsychologia . 1996;  34 351-359
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 55 Cicone M, Wapner W, Gardner H. Sensitivity to emotional expressions and situations in organic patients.  Cortex . 1980;  16 145-158
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 56 Cimino C, Verfaellie M, Bowers D, Heilman K. Autobiographical memory: influence of right hemisphere damage on emotionality and specificity.  Brain Lang . 1991;  15 106-118
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 57 Wechsler A. The effect of organic brain disease on recall of emotionally charged versus neutral narrative texts.  Neurology . 1973;  23 130-135
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 58 Heilman K M. The neurobiology of emotional experience.  J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci . 1997;  9 439-448
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 59 Van Lancker D. Personal relevance and the human right hemisphere.  Brain Cogn . 1991;  17 64-92
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 60 Van Lancker D, Canter G J. Impairment of voice and face recognition in patients with hemispheric damage.  Brain Cogn . 1982;  1 185-195
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 61 Van Lancker D, Kreiman J. Unfamiliar voice discrimination and familiar voice recognition are independent and unordered abilities.  Neuropsychologia . 1987;  25 829-834
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 62 Pell M D. Recognition of prosody following unilateral brain lesion: influence of functional and structural attributes of prosodic contours.  Neuropsychologia . 1998;  36 701-715
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 63 De Bleser R, Poeck K. Analysis of prosody in the spontaneous speech of patients with CV-recurring utterances.  Cortex . 1985;  21 405-415
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 64 Shapiro B E, Danly M. The role of the right hemisphere in the control of speech prosody in propositional and affective contexts.  Brain Lang . 1985;  25 19-36
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 65 Paul L K, Van Lancker D, Schieffer B, Dietrich R, Brown W S. Communicative deficits in agenesis of the corpus callosum: nonliteral language and affective prosody.  Brain Lang (in press).
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 66 Stringer A Y. Treatment of motor aprosodia with pitch biofeedback and expression modeling.  Brain Inj . 1996;  10 583-590
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar