The Identification of Internal Speech Through Surface Electromyography and Encephalography

a Scope Review

Abstract

The aim of this article is to present a scope review on the identification of internal speech through surface electromyography and encephalography. A search was performed in the literature of the last five years (2015 to 2020), using descriptors in English and Portuguese, organized according to the following syntax: (“silent speech” OR “inner speech” OR “covert speech” OR “self-talk” OR “imaginary speech”) AND (electromyography OR electromyographies OR “surface electromyography” “electromyographies, surface” OR “electromyography, surface” OR “surface electromyographies” OR electromyogram OR electromyograms OR electroencephalography OR EEG OR electroencephalogram OR electroencephalograms), not including citations and patents in different databases. The concept of internal speech differed among the studies included in this review, but it was similar in terms of the absence of sound and articulatory movement. The purpose of the research that analyzed the biosignals of electroencephalography and/or surface electromyography in internal speech, comparing them or not with audible speech, was to develop systems that are controlled by the mental processing of the language.