GENERALIZED MOTOR PROGRAM AND PARAMETERIZATION ACCURACY IN APRAXIA OFSPEECH AND CONDUCTION APHASIA

The present study examined three aspects of motor programming (general ized motor programme (GMP) accuracy, temporal parameterization accurac y, and amplitude parameterization accuracy) in subjects with apraxia o f speech (AOS) or conduction aphasia (CA) and normal speaking particip ants. Subjects were presented with a movement pattern on a monitor tha t they were required to produce with the jaw, after the target pattern had been removed from view. Analyses examined differences in relative (parameterization) and absolute (GMP) timing and amplitude between th e target and actual movement. Examination of individual subject perfor mance revealed inter-subject variability within the AOS group, with tw o of the four subjects demonstrating unimpaired GMP accuracy but poor parameterization accuracy, while the other two subjects exhibited the opposite pattern, impaired GMP accuracy but normal parameterization. N o clear pattern of deficit was noted for the subjects with CA. Results are discussed with respect to motor control theories of AOS and CA.