It was the purpose of this study to obtain nasalance values for a large number of normal adult subjects speaking a variety of dialects of English. The Nasometer was used to measure the amount of nasal acoustic energy in the speech of 148 normal adults from four geographical regions of North America. Means and standard deviations for the nasalance and deviation scores are presented for each of three different reading passages. The Mid-Atlantic speakers were found to have significantly higher nasalance scores on all three reading passages. In addition, the female subjects had significantly higher nasalance scores on the Nasal Sentences. These differences are discussed with regard to potential reasons for their existence implications for understanding velopharyngeal function in normal and abnormal speakers.

Bulbar-onset ALS patients with cognitive impairments and neuronal loss in the anterior cingulate gyrus subsequently developed more profound neuropsychological dysfunction whereas both language and speech capabilities remained relatively preserved. Of note, the absence of bulbar signs did not predict an absence of cognitive decline.

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Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive, adult-onset neurodegenerative disorder manifesting as a relentless loss of motor capabilities and, ultimately, death. Traditionally thought to affect solely the lower motor neurons and corticospinal tracts, recent studies suggest that the pathogenic process of ALS is more extensive, involving dysfunction of cortical grey and white matter with clinical correlates of impairment in cognition and language. The impact of speech and motor deficits are discussed in relation to the issues of assessment of cognition and language. Three case studies are presented for illustrative purposes. Finally, direction for future research to investigate cognitive dysfunction in ALS are presented.