VOCAL RESONANCE

• Nose forms a resonance chamber for certain consonants in

speech. In phonating nasal consonants (M/N/NG), sound
passes through the nasopharyngeal isthmus and is emitted
through the nose. When nose (or nasopharynx) is blocked,
speech becomes densal, i.e. M/N/NG are uttered as B/D/G,
respectively. It is to be remembered that in hindi alphabets,
last latter of a “varga”(sju{ : s, v, u, 3, ª M tju{ M t, y, b, w,
g M kju{ M k, km, a, Ef, d) is substituted by its third letter.
Thus, an affective person utters bfbf for gfgf and afaf for
dfdf. Reverse is true in velopharyngeal insufficiency where
gfgf is substituted for bfbf.
 NASAL REFLEXES
• Several reflexes are initiated in the nasal mucosa. Smell of a
palatable food cause reflex secretion of saliva and gastric juice.
Irritation of nasal mucosa cause sneezing. Nasal function is closely
related to pulmonary functions through nasobronchial and
nasopulmonary reflexes. It has been observed that nasal
obstruction leads to increased pulmonary resistance and is
reversed when nasal obstruction is surgically treated. Nasal packing
in cases of epistaxis or after nasal surgery lead to lowering of pO₂
which returns to normal after removal of the pack. Pulmonary
hypertension or cor pulmonale can develop in children with long-
standing nasal obstruction due to tonsil and adenoid hypertrophy
and can be reversed after removal of the tonsils and adenoids.
 OLFACTION
• Sense of smell is well-developed in lower animals
to give warning of the environmental dangers but it
is comparatively less important in man. Still it is
important for pleasure and for enjoying the taste of
food. When nose is blocked, food tastes bland and
unpalatable. Vapours of ammonia are never used
to test the sense of smell as they stimulate fibers of
the trigeminal nerve and cause irritation in the
nose rather than stimulate the olfactory receptors.
 1. OLFACTORY PATHWAYS
• Smell is perceived in the olfactory region of nose which is
situated high up in the nasal cavity. This area contains millions of
olfactory receptor cells. Peripheral process of each olfactory cell
reaches the mucosal surface and is expanded into a ventricle
with several cilia on it. This acts as a sensory receptor to receive
odorous substances. Central processes of the olfactory cells are
grouped into olfactory nerves which pass through the cribriform
plate of ethmoid and end in the mitral cells of the olfactory bulb.
Axons of mitral cells form olfactory tract and carry smell to the
prepyriform cortex and the amygdaloid nucleus where it reaches
consciousness. Olfactory system is also associated with
autonomic system at the hypothalamic level.