Abstract: Contrastive Learning Approach for Assessment of Speech in Patients with Tongue Cancer using MRI Data

Tomás Arias-Vergara, Paula Andrea Pérez-Toro, Xiaofeng Liu, Fangxu Xing, Maureen Stone, Jiachen Zhuo, Jerry L. Prince, Maria Schuster, Elmar Nöth, Jonghye Woo, Andreas K. Maier

Abstract: The analysis of human speech with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides essential information on the dynamic processes involved in speech production, allowing unobtrusive monitoring of the complete vocal tract during speech production. In clinical applications, personalized monitoring and increased speed of speech rehabilitation can be achieved through targeted phonological therapy i.e., by breaking down spoken words into their linguistic units. While MRI provides detailed visualization of the anatomical structures involved in speech production, the acoustic information provided by synchronized audio signals allows higher temporal resolution to process speech sounds.