- AN INVESTIGATION OF DYSPROSODY IN FOREIGN ACCENT SYNDROME (Principal investigator)
- A pilot study into the applicability of the AM approach to intonational analysis for different types of dysarthria (Principal investigator)
- X REF 010860: AN INVESTIAGTION INTO ALTERED AUDITORY FEEDBACK AS A RATE CONTROL TOOL IN SPEAKERS WITH PARKINSON'S DISEASE: EXTENSION TO 010860 (Principal investigator)
Biographical summary
Dr Lowit trained as a speech and language therapist at Reading University (BA Hons in Linguistics and Language Pathology) and then moved to Newcastle upon Tyne to do her PhD on acoustic analysis in dysarthria. She has been teaching at the Division of Speech and Language Therapy since 1996.
Teaching interests
Dr Lowit teaches clinical linguistics, including pragmatics, semantics, grammar, bilingualism &instrumental speech analysis, and contributes to clinical modules and clinical placement supervision. In addition, she is the division's Socrates coordinator and is actively involved in projects from the Socrates SLT network such as intensive summer schools, and curriculum development projects.
Research interests
Dr Lowit's research mainly focuses on motor speech disorders. This includes the application of instrumental techniques to diagnosis and treatment, the investigation of prosodic difficulties and the evaluation of assessment and treatment techniques for these disorders. Dr. Lowit is furthermore interested in the acoustic analysis of voice disorders, fMRI investigations of speech perception and production, the relationship between cognition and speech and language skills in degenerative disorders and the area of bilingualism.
Recent research contracts include analyses of rhythm and intonation in ataxic dysarthria and Foreign Accent Syndrome.
Recent publications
Kröger BJ, Kannampuzha J, Lowit A, Neuschaefer-Rube C (2008) Phonetotopy within a neurocomputational model of speech production and speech acquisition. In: Fuchs S, Loevenbruck H, Pape D, Perrier P (eds.) Some aspects of speech and the brain. Mouton deGruyter, Berlin, pp. 59-90
Kröger BJ, Lowit A, Schnitker R (2008) The Organization of a Neurocomputational Control Model for Articulatory Speech Synthesis. In: Esposito A, Bourbakis N, Avouris N, Hatzilygeroudis I (eds.) Verbal and Nonverbal Features of Human-Human and Human-Machine Interaction. Selected papers from COST Action 2102 International Workshop. Springer Verlag: Berlin, pp. 126-141
Kröger BJ, Graf-Bortscheller V, Lowit A (in press) Two- and three-dimensional visual articulatory models for pronunciation training and for treatment of speech disorders. Proceedings of Interspeech 2008 (Brisbane, Australia)
Anderson, A., Lowit, A., & Howell, P. (in press) Temporal and spatial variability in speakers with Parkinson's Disease and Friedreich's Ataxia. Journal of Medical Speech Language Pathology.
Mackenzie, C. & Lowit, A. (2007) Behavioural intervention effects in dysarthria following stroke: communication effectiveness, intelligibility and dysarthria impact. International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders, 42, 2, 131-153.
Lowit, A. & Rolland-Monnoury, V. (2007) La réeducation de la prosodie. (Treatment of prosodic disorders). In P. Auzou, V. Rolland-Monnoury, S. Pinto, & C. Ozsancak (Eds) Les Dysarthries. Solal, Marseille. pp. 637 - 646.
Lowit, A. (2007) Approche translinguistique de la dysarthrie (Evaluation of dysarthria from a crosslinguistic perspective). In P. Auzou, V. Rolland-Monnoury, S. Pinto, & C. Ozsancak (Eds) Les Dysarthries. Solal, Marseille. pp. 280 - 287.
Lowit, A., Brendel, B., Dobinson, C. & Howell, P. (2006) An investigation into the influences of age, pathology and cognition on speech production. Journal of Medical Speech Language Pathology, 14, 253-262.
Henrich, J., Lowit, A., Schalling, E. & Mennen, I. (2006) Rhythmic disturbance in ataxic dysarthria: A comparison of different measures and speech tasks. Journal of Medical Speech Language Pathology, 14, 291-296.
Miller, N., Lowit, A., & Sullivan, S. (2006) What makes Foreign Accent Syndrome foreign? Journal of Neurolinguistics, 19, 385-409.
Lowit, A. (2006) Parkinson-Syndrom. In Siegmüller, J. & Bartels, H. (eds) Sprach-, Sprech- und Stimmtherapie, Elsevier, München, pp. 317-325.
Lowit, A. (2006) Multiple Sklerose. In Siegmüller, J. & Bartels, H. (eds) Sprach-, Sprech- und Stimmtherapie, Elsevier, München, pp. 326-329.
Lowit, A., Howell, P., & Brendel, B. (2005) Cognitive impairment in Parkinson's Disease - is it a unified phenomenon? Journal of Brain Impairment, 6, 3, 191-204.
Brendel, B., Lowit, A., & Howell, P. (2004) The effects of delayed and frequency shifted feedback on speakers with Parkinson's Disease. Journal of Medical Speech-Language Pathology, 12, 4, 131-138.
Lowit, A. & Brendel, B. (2004) The Response of Patients with Parkinson's Disease to DAF and FSF. Stammering Research, 1, 58-61.
Lowit, A., Miller, N., & Poedjianto, N. (2003) Characteristics of performance change in dysarthria: Clinical perspectives. Journal of Clinical Speech & Language Studies. 12/13, 87-107.
Recent grant income
November 2007, Research Enhancement Fund, Strathclyde University (£7000), Funding to establish an international research group on motor speech disorders. In collaboration with Prof Bernard Conway, Strathclyde University.
October 2007 to September 2008, Education Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency, European Union (188,000 Euros). Curriculum Development grant for a European Clinical Specialisation Course in Motor Speech Disorders. Lead applicant, in collaboration with 8 other institutions.
April - June 2007: The German Exchange Service (DAAD), £3600, Funding for a 3 months sabbatical to develop an English application of the Speech Trainer (Kroeger) and pilot an fMRI study for delayed auditory feedback perception at the University Hospitals in Aachen and Tuebingen, Germany.
September 2006 - August 2007: The British Academy, £7371, An investigation of dysprosody in Foreign Accent Syndrome. In collaboration with Dr. Nick Miller, Newcastle University, and Dr. Ineke Mennen, QMUC.
October 2005 - Sept 2008: Ataxia UK, £39,800, An investigation into the relationship between rhythm and intonation in ataxic dysarthria. In collaboration with Ineke Mennen, QMUC
June-July 2005: Wellcome Trust, £990 "An investigation into the factors affecting intelligibility measures in dysarthria."
January 2004 - June 2005: Strathclyde University Research and Development Fund, £8,200 "A crosslinguistic study of ataxic dysarthria."
April 2003 - September 2004: Chest, Heart & Stroke Scotland, £2,990, "Effectiveness of dysarthria therapy after stroke." in collaboration with lead applicant Dr. C. Mackenzie, SLT Division., Strathclyde University and C. Sellars, SLT, Glasgow Royal Infirmary.
April 2003 - September 2006: Parkinson's Disease Society, £97,446, "An investigation into altered auditory feedback as a rate control tool in speakers with PD" in collaboration with Prof. Peter Howell, Dept. of Psychology, University College London.
Recent and Upcoming Conference Presentations
Anderson, A., Lowit, A., Dobinson, C. & Howell, P. (2008) Spatio-temporal variability in speakers with Parkinson's Disease. Paper presentation at the Conference on Motor Speech: Motor Speech Disorders & Speech Motor Control, March 6-9, 2008, Monterey, California.
Lowit, A., MacLeod, J., Howell, P. & Brendel, B. (2008) Repetitive Speech Behavior in PD - relationship to cognition and response to DAF. Poster presentation at the Conference on Motor Speech: Motor Speech Disorders & Speech Motor Control, March 6-9, 2008, Monterey, California.
Dobinson, C. & Lowit, A. (2008) Clients' perspectives on traditional vs. altered feedback therapy for rate control: Views of people with Parkinson Disease. Poster presentation at the Conference on Motor Speech: Motor Speech Disorders & Speech Motor Control, March 6-9, 2008, Monterey, California.
Klein, C. Lowit, A. & Mennen, I. (2007) Aspects of rhythm and intonation in ataxic dysarthria. Poster presented at Speech Prosody in Atypical Populations, 2 April, Reading, UK.
Lowit, A., Brendel, B., & Howell, P. (2006) The relationship between cognitive ability and speech performance under AAF conditions. Paper presentation at the Conference on Motor Speech: Motor Speech Disorders & Speech Motor Control, March 22-26, Austin, Texas.
Röder, J.C., Lowit, A., Schalling, E., Hartelius, L., Auzou, P. & Mennen, I. (2006) A cross-linguistic study of rhythm in ataxic dysarthria. Poster presentation at the Conference on Motor Speech: Motor Speech Disorders & Speech Motor Control, March 22-26, Austin, Texas.
Membership of professional bodies
Dr Lowit is a member of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists and the Health Professions Council. She is also a member of the Higher Education Institute.
University responsibilities
Dr Lowit is joint course director as well as course coordinator of the BSc in Speech and Language Pathology. She is also a member of the departmental research and ethics committees, as well as the faculty Board of Study, and acts as the research coordinator for the SLT Division.
External responsibilities
Dr Lowit has acted as external PhD assessor for various institutions, and has sat on an accreditation panel for an SLT course in Ireland. She was also a visiting lecturer for the SLT course in Malta for a number of years. At a clinical level, she has been part of a team establishing good practice guidelines for ataxia in Britain. Furthermore, she regularly reviews grant applications and journal articles at an international level. Dr Lowit is also the representative of RCSLT at the Education committee of CPLOL (Comité Permanent de Liaison des Orthophonistes / Logopèdes de l'Union Européenne) from 2008.
Current external examining duties include:
BSc in Speech and Language Pathology, National University of Ireland in Galway.
