Elaine Kearney is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at Boston University (BU). Her research investigates the sensorimotor control of speech in acquired motor speech disorders with a view to expanding the evidence-based treatment options available to these populations.
At the Speech Neuroscience Laboratory at BU, Elaine investigates the neural correlates of auditory and somatosensory feedback control in speech production in individuals with Parkinson’s Disease using functional brain-imaging methods. This line of research has implications for our understanding of both normal and disordered speech motor control, and has the potential to guide future directions of speech rehabilitation research in Parkinson’s Disease.
PhD in Speech-Language Pathology, 2017
University of Toronto
BSc in Speech and Language Therapy, 2011
University College Cork
Speech production is a highly complex sensorimotor task involving tightly coordinated processing across large expanses of the cerebral cortex. Historically, the study of the neural underpinnings of speech suffered from the lack of an animal model. The development of non-invasive structural and functional neuroimaging techniques in the late twentieth century has dramatically improved our understanding of the speech network. Techniques for measuring regional cerebral blood flow have illuminated the neural regions involved in various aspects of speech, including feedforward and feedback control mechanisms. In parallel, we have designed, experimentally tested, and refined a neural network model detailing the neural computations performed by specific neuroanatomical regions during speech. Computer simulations of the model account for a wide range of experimental findings, including data on articulatory kinematics and brain activity during normal and perturbed speech. Furthermore, the model is being used to investigate a wide range of communication disorders.
Background: Apraxia of speech (AOS) is defined as a disorder of articulatory movements, yet a cohesive account of the movement deficit …
Purpose: A systematic review was performed to (1) evaluate the effectiveness of augmented visual feedback-based treatments for motor …
Purpose: This study evaluates the effects of a novel speech therapy program that uses a verbal cue and gamified augmented visual …
Purpose: To further understand the effect of Parkinson’s disease (PD) on articulatory movements in speech and to expand our …
Dr. Kearney has been a course instructor (CI) or guest lecturer (GL) for the following courses at Boston University and the University of Toronto: