Objective: This study was undertaken to explore the application of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and MRI movies in the evaluation of articulatory function in subjects with and without cleft lip and palate (CLP).
Design: The authors examined brain activation and the dynamic movement of articulators during bilabial and velar plosives using fMRI and MRI movies.
Subjects: Two subjects, one with unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) and one with bilateral cleft lip and palate (BCLP), and 12 non-CLP volunteers.
Results: Activation foci were found in the precentral gyrus, thalamus, and cerebellum in non-CLP volunteers. In comparison, similar regions were activated in the UCLP subject during both plosives, whereas the regions activated in the BCLP subject were different, particularly during the velar plosive. The dynamic movement of articulators in the UCLP subject was comparable to that in a non-CLP volunteer but different from that in the BCLP subject.
Conclusions: The results suggest that these two MRI modalities may be a promising evaluation methodology for articulatory function in CLP from central and peripheral perspectives.