Scanning speech is a type of ataxic dysarthria in which spoken words are broken up into separate syllables, often separated by a noticeable pause, and spoken with varying force. The sentence "Walking is good exercise", for example, might be pronounced as "Walk (pause) ing is good ex (pause) er (pause) cise". Additionally, stress may be placed on unusual syllables. The name is derived from literary

scansion Scansion ( , rhymes with ''mansion''; verb: ''to scan''), or a system of scansion, is the method or practice of determining and (usually) graphically representing the Metre (poetry), metrical pattern of a line of Poetry, verse. In classical poetr ...

, because the speech pattern separates the syllables in a phrase much like scanning a poem counts the syllables in a line of poetry. There is no universal agreement about the exact definition of this term. Some sources require only a noticeable pause between syllables, while others require other speech abnormalities, such as the unusual stress pattern on syllables. Some sources consider it a common, but not necessary, feature of ataxic dysarthria; others consider it exactly synonymous with ataxic dysarthria.

Cause

Scanning speech, like other ataxic dysarthrias, is a symptom of lesions in the

cerebellum The cerebellum (: cerebella or cerebellums; Latin for 'little brain') is a major feature of the hindbrain of all vertebrates. Although usually smaller than the cerebrum, in some animals such as the mormyrid fishes it may be as large as it or eve ...

. It is a typical symptom of

multiple sclerosis Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease resulting in damage to myelinthe insulating covers of nerve cellsin the brain and spinal cord. As a demyelinating disease, MS disrupts the nervous system's ability to Action potential, transmit ...

, and it constitutes one of the three symptoms of Charcot's neurologic triad. Scanning speech may be accompanied by other symptoms of cerebellar damage, such as

gait Gait is the pattern of Motion (physics), movement of the limb (anatomy), limbs of animals, including Gait (human), humans, during Animal locomotion, locomotion over a solid substrate. Most animals use a variety of gaits, selecting gait based on s ...

, truncal and limb

ataxia Ataxia (from Greek α- negative prefix+ -τάξις rder= "lack of order") is a neurological sign consisting of lack of voluntary coordination of muscle movements that can include gait abnormality, speech changes, and abnormalities in e ...

, intention tremor, inaccuracies in rapidly repeated movements and sudden, abrupt

nausea Nausea is a diffuse sensation of unease and discomfort, sometimes perceived as an urge to vomit. It can be a debilitating symptom if prolonged and has been described as placing discomfort on the chest, abdomen, or back of the throat. Over 30 d ...

and

vomiting Vomiting (also known as emesis, puking and throwing up) is the forceful expulsion of the contents of one's stomach through the mouth and sometimes the nose. Vomiting can be the result of ailments like food poisoning, gastroenteritis, pre ...

. The handwriting of such patients may also be abnormally large.

References

External links

{{Medical resources , DiseasesDB = , ICD10 = {{ICD10, R, 47, 1, r, 47 , ICD9 = , ICDO = , OMIM = , MedlinePlus = , eMedicineSubj = , eMedicineTopic = , MeshID = D004401 Neurological disorders Communication disorders Symptoms and signs: Speech and voice