Flaccid Dysarthria and Paralysis Overview

A type of dysarthria caused by damage to cranial or spinal nerves, affecting muscle tone, movement speed/range/accuracy. It's a problem with neuromuscular control, not planning.

The ability of the nervous system to coordinate muscle movement.

A symptom of flaccid dysarthria, resulting from motor unit damage, leading to reduced muscle strength.

Reduced muscle tone, characterized by floppiness and decreased resistance to movement.

Loss of muscle bulk due to lack of use.

Certain blood vessel blockages (strokes) affecting speech nerve centers can cause difficulties with speech clarity (dysarthria).

Damage to cranial nerves, often from surgery, can lead to vocal cord weakness and difficulties with clear speech (dysarthria).

Inherited muscle diseases causing progressive muscle degeneration and weakening over time.

Common adult muscular dystrophy characterized by prolonged muscle contractions after stimulation.

Genetic disorder causing benign tumors (neurofibromas) throughout the nervous system.

Flaccid dysarthria can result from neurofibromatosis or tumors impacting the skull base, directly affecting nerves controlling speech.

Autoimmune disease causing weakened muscles due to reduced communication at the nerve-muscle connection.

A stroke-related condition affecting nerves controlling the face, body, and speech, often with ipsilateral symptoms.

A type of dysarthria caused by damage to cranial or spinal nerves, affecting muscle tone, movement speed/range/accuracy. It's a problem with neuromuscular control, not planning.

Ptosis (droopy eyelid), facial weakness, slurred speech (flaccid dysarthria), difficulty swallowing (dysphagia), and in rare cases, voice problems (dysphonia).

A contagious viral disease that affects lower motor neurons, often in the lumbar and cervical spinal cord, leading to muscle weakness and paralysis. Bulbar involvement (affects brainstem) is common, especially CN IX and X.

Individuals with HIV/AIDS can develop neurological complications due to opportunistic infections. Cryptococcal meningitis is a common example.

Inflammation of the brain (encephalitis), the meninges (meningitis), or both (meningoencephalitis) can affect brainstem areas, leading to cranial nerve deficits and flaccid dysarthria.

A rare but serious autoimmune disorder where the immune system attacks peripheral nerves, leading to rapid, widespread muscle weakness and paralysis, often preceded by a flu-like illness.

Congenital abnormalities where the brainstem and cerebellum are squeezed through the foramen magnum, impacting brainstem function.

Formation of fluid-filled cavities within the spinal cord. If it extends to the brainstem (Syringobulbia), it can impact cranial nerve function.

Increased lifting of one shoulder, often seen on the side of a neurological lesion.

Weakness in turning the head towards the side opposite the lesion.

Damage to the XIIth cranial nerve, affecting tongue muscles and impacting speech, chewing, and swallowing.

Wasting away of tongue muscle, often seen on the weaker side of a hypoglossal nerve lesion.

Tongue protrudes to the weaker side in a hypoglossal nerve lesion.

Sounds produced by the tongue, like 'l', 't', 'n', and 'k'.

Weakness in both sides of the tongue, affecting both elevation and lateralization, significantly impacting speech.

Upper cervical spinal nerves can indirectly affect speech, resonance, and articulation.

A functional unit of the nervous system consisting of a motor neuron and the muscle fibers it innervates. Damage to this unit disrupts communication between the brain and the muscles.

A condition where the larynx (voice box) cannot close properly, resulting in a breathy voice, audible inspiration, and short phrases.

A condition where the velopharyngeal valve (roof of the mouth) cannot close properly, resulting in hypernasality (nasal speech), nasal emission, and imprecise consonants.

Characterized by harsh voice, monopitch, and monoloudness. It may reflect hypotonia and weakness in laryngeal muscles.

Understanding where the damage occurs is crucial for diagnosis. Flaccid dysarthria often points to a Lower Motor Neuron (LMN) lesion, whereas other dysarthria types may involve the Upper Motor Neuron (UMN).

The cause of flaccid dysarthria can vary - degenerative disease, surgical trauma, stroke, myasthenia gravis, tumors, infections, demyelinating diseases, malformations, or radiation effects are all potential causes.

Weakness on both sides of the jaw can significantly impact speech articulation, making it difficult to form sounds clearly.

Damage to the trigeminal nerve can affect sensation in the face, lips, tongue, and jaw, leading to problems with precise articulation.

Damage to the facial nerve can cause facial weakness, resulting in difficulty moving the lips and cheeks, leading to distorted speech.

Damage to the pharyngeal branch of the vagus nerve affects the throat, leading to hypernasality (nasal speech) and weak consonant sounds.

Damage to these branches affects the voice box, leading to voice abnormalities, breathy voice, weak voice or difficulty with loudness.

Damage to the hypoglossal nerve causes tongue weakness, impacting articulation, making speech unclear.

Damage to nerves controlling breathing can reduce the air supply for speech, leading to decreased loudness, shorter sentences, and limited pitch variation.

Flaccid dysarthria is characterized by weakness and problems with speech clarity due to involvement of several cranial nerves, especially the vagus nerve.