Introduction
The topic, related to child development, selected for this report is how the brain encodes speech. Language development is one of the key stages of child growth, as it seeks to ensure that a child is able to develop speech allowing him or her to communicate. The topic became interesting to me due to the fact information on how the brain encodes speed is somewhat scarce, thus, resulting in a significant lack of knowledge.
Child development experts point to language and speech formation and development as one of the key stages that every child must go through as part of the overall development process. Understanding how the language encodes language would help in understanding why some of the children find themselves in a position where they cannot speak. Additionally, this will also help towards examining the importance of language in the different stages of child development.
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Purpose
The specific aspect that I intend to learn from this topic revolves around understanding how the brain functions leading to speech formation. The project will provide me with some form of understanding on speech formation with the key focus being towards examining how the brain sends signals to the tongue, palates, and lips for purposes of speech formation. The sole focus of this analysis is to get a clear understanding of the overall process of speech development in children.
On the other hand, I intend to learn more about how the brain is able to control speech. Specifically, this project will provide me with a clear understanding of how the brain controls speech in comparison to controlling other parts of the body including arm movements. In this particular area, I intend to learn about how the brain encodes speech for purposes of promoting communication between individuals.
How the Brain Encodes Speech
In the article, Unlocking the secret of how the brain encodes speech, Mugler, Tate, Templer, & Goldrick (2018) reflect on the general process through which the brain is able to encode speech to aid in communication purposes. As part of the synopsis for the article, the author points to an example of the late Stephen Hawking, who was not able to speak, arguing that Hawking was able to think about what they would want to say but the muscles within the brain are paralyzed.
The issue of speech has become a key issue of concern for a significant number of people, especially in the child development stages. That has prompted scientists towards adopting the brain machine interface (BMI), which has the capacity to translate specific words within the brain into speech. The use of the BMI would be effective towards ensuring that indeed people would be able to engage in speech regardless of the paralysis within the brain hampering the speech element.
According to Mugler, Tate, Templer, & Goldrick (2018), it is clear that the brain has the capacity and ability to control speech within the same way as it is able to control other bodily functions including arm and hand movements. In a bid to understanding the functionality of the brain, scientists embarked on a process of having to record the signals associated with speech within the brain. From the signals recorded, it is clear that the brain is not only able to control the words used but also controls movements that would aid speech.
Some of the key areas where movement is important include lips, palate, tongue, and larynx, each of which helps towards paving the way for effective speech control. Thus, this acts as a clear indication of the fact that indeed the brain a key tool aiding speech. However, it is important to take note of the fact that the functioning of the brain with regard to speech and movement occur in different parts of the brain.
Mugler, Tate, Templer, & Goldrick (2018) point out that speech is composed of specific sounds, which are referred to as phonemes, which create coordinated movements, referred to as articulatory gestures to aid in word formation. The gestures are planned within the brain for purposes of ensuring that indeed one is able to form speech. However, it must be noted that scientists have not been able to decrypt how the cerebral cortex is able to aid in speech production.
No evidence has been presented to show gesture movements within the brain to support speech production within the cerebral cortex, which, in turn, becomes a challenge for scientists in their bid to understanding speech development. Scientists only seek to suggest that the brain embarks on similar organization as those occurring during other bodily functions including the articulatory gestures.
After an in-depth analysis of the articulatory gestures of the lips, tongue, palate, and larynx, it was clear that indeed this was one of the key ways in which the brain was able to aid speech production. These gestures are symbolic of the phonemes to a great extent, thus, ensuring that indeed one is able to achieve the expected outcome, which is speech formation. The analysis of the gestures helped in providing a clear synopsis on what it means to create speech from the brain.
The two parts of the brain that are responsible for speech production are the precentral cortex, which represents the gestures, and the inferior frontal cortex, which represents both the phonemes and gestures. The functioning of these two parts of the brain acts as a guarantee that indeed the brain would be able to aid speech formation as a way of ensuring that one will be able to form specific words.
Northwestern scientists conducted studies on patients, who were going through brain surgery for purposes of removing tumors, in a bid to examining how the brain is able to encode words. The patients were asked to read out specific words after being woken up during the course of the surgery. The scientists focused on marking times during which the patients were able to produce phonemes and gestures.
The information gathered from this study was important towards ensuring that indeed engineers would be in a better position from which to create brain machine interfaces. The interfaces play a critical role towards ensuring that indeed the brain is able to decode speech with an aim of ensuring that one is able to communicate in a much more effective way regardless of the paralysis.
Conclusion
One of the key aspects that I was able to learn is the brain controls all aspects associated with speech production in the same way that it controls other body functions including arm and hand movements. The brain uses two specific areas to aid in speech production the precentral cortex, which represents the gestures, and the inferior frontal cortex, which represents both the phonemes and gestures.
Scientists have conducted studies in a bid to understanding how the brain functions as a way of trying to determine the exact moments when the brain creates gestures and phonemes to aid in speech production. The studies have been of great value towards the development of the brain machine interface, which is a key technology aimed at helping persons with challenges in speech formation to decode speech from the brain.
References
Mugler, E. M., Tate, M. C., Templer, J. W., & Goldrick, M. A. (2018, September 26). Unlocking the secret of how the brain encodes speech . Retrieved from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/09/180926140827.htm
