Estudo de relação entre a atividade eletromiográfica de músculos da face e o movimento facial durante a fala

Abstract

Currently, exams such as surface electromyography became part of clinical evaluations, as they allow the elaboration of more precise diagnoses and a more objective therapeutic approach. This paper aims to analyze the electromyographic activity of perioral muscles and the trajectory of the facial movement during speech, as well as the correlation between them. The hypothesis is based on the possibility of gesture-electromyographic characterization of facial muscles from simultaneous measurements of electromyography and facial movement.The steps involved in this research include the data collection of surface electromyographic signals and the tracking of facial markers during the production of syllables and words. The speech acoustic signal was recorded simultaneously. The electromyographic analysis showed greater activation of muscles in the regions of the lower lip and chin when compared to the region of the upper lip. The results of the correlation between the electromyographic activity and facial movement yielded statistically significant values for 33 of the 36 relations examined. The values of the highest correlation coefficients were around 0.7, which can be considered high. Delays of up to 0.34 s of facial motion relatively to the electromyographic signal were observed. Such delays have occurred in situations of isometric force, in which muscles are tensed to keep articulators in fixed positions, prior to the acoustic burst of plosive and fricative consonants