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Nature Neuroscience Dec 2023Mammalian vocalizations are critical for communication and are produced through the process of phonation, in which expiratory muscles force air through the tensed vocal...
Mammalian vocalizations are critical for communication and are produced through the process of phonation, in which expiratory muscles force air through the tensed vocal folds of the larynx, which vibrate to produce sound. Despite the importance of phonation, the motor circuits in the brain that control it remain poorly understood. In this study, we identified a subpopulation of ~160 neuropeptide precursor Nts (neurotensin)-expressing neurons in the mouse brainstem nucleus retroambiguus (RAm) that are robustly activated during both neonatal isolation cries and adult social vocalizations. The activity of these neurons is necessary and sufficient for vocalization and bidirectionally controls sound volume. RAm Nts neurons project to all brainstem and spinal cord motor centers involved in phonation and activate laryngeal and expiratory muscles essential for phonation and volume control. Thus, RAm Nts neurons form the core of a brain circuit for making sound and controlling its volume, which are two foundations of vocal communication.
Topics: Animals; Male; Sheep; Mice; Vocalization, Animal; Larynx; Neurons; Brain Stem; Phonation; Mammals
PubMed: 37996531
DOI: 10.1038/s41593-023-01478-2 -
American Journal of Speech-language... Nov 2011To describe the origins of the task elicitation procedure for determining phonation threshold pressure and, through a literature review and online survey, describe... (Review)
Review
PURPOSE
To describe the origins of the task elicitation procedure for determining phonation threshold pressure and, through a literature review and online survey, describe published procedural, environmental, and participant variable departures from the original methodology.
METHOD
Literature search terms included phonation threshold pressure, subglottal pressure and phonation, pressure measurement and phonation, lung pressure and phonation, and vocal fold oscillation onset. Inclusion criteria were limited to indirect assessment of phonation threshold pressure, English language publications between 1980 and 2009, and peer-reviewed journals. Studies including animals, computer or physical models, alaryngeal speakers, laryngeal airway resistance, or any airflow interruption technique were excluded. Twenty-four articles matched the inclusionary criteria. An online survey to query task elicitation procedures was then developed from the literature review.
RESULTS
The scientific rationale for inclusion of phonation threshold pressure data was consistent across published studies; however, variations in procedural methodology for task elicitation were identified, as were environmental and participant inconsistencies that might affect phonation threshold pressure values. Findings of the online survey mirrored the inconsistencies identified in the literature review.
CONCLUSIONS
The methodological differences for task elicitation identified in this comprehensive review of the literature and the online survey, while bringing into question the reliability of phonation threshold pressure measurement, illuminate scientific questions yet to be answered to further refine and potentially standardize phonation threshold pressure as a more reliable research and clinical measurement.
Topics: Animals; Glottis; Humans; Phonation; Pressure; Pulmonary Ventilation; Vocal Cords
PubMed: 21856967
DOI: 10.1044/1058-0360(2011/10-0066) -
Journal of Voice : Official Journal of... Mar 2022Semioccluded vocal tract (SOVT) exercises are routinely included in many voice therapy programs because they have been shown to improve acoustic, aerodynamic, and...
OBJECTIVE
Semioccluded vocal tract (SOVT) exercises are routinely included in many voice therapy programs because they have been shown to improve acoustic, aerodynamic, and patient-reported voice outcomes. One limitation of the traditional SOVT exercise is that the nature of phonation through straws or semioccluded oral postures allows only for single phoneme production. A variably occluded facemask (VOFM) allows for use of articulated connected speech beyond the production of single phonemes, while still providing occlusion and, presumably, the vocal efficiency benefits that arise from it. This study reports on the effect of time duration of phonation with a variably occluded facemask on voice outcomes in patients with voice disorders.
DESIGN
Prospective, randomized cohort study.
METHODS
Fifteen patients with voice disorders phonated for 5 minutes through a VOFM with diameter openings of 3.2, 6.4, and 9.6 mm. Acoustic and aerodynamic voice measures were collected before and after each occlusion trial. These results were compared to a historical patient group that received the same phonation training for 2 minutes.
RESULTS
Positive effect sizes were found for acoustic and aerodynamic improvements for all patients for at least one occlusion diameter. Effect sizes for aerodynamic outcomes were greater in the 5-minute conditions for both the 9.6- and 6.4-mm occlusions than the 2-minute condition. Effect sizes for acoustic outcomes were greater in the 5 minute than 2-minute trial for the 9.6- and 6.4-mm occlusion diameter, but greater in the 2 minute than 5-minute trial for 3.2-mm diameter.
DISCUSSION
This study provides evidence that all three occlusion sizes may elicit beneficial changes for different patients; however, 5 minutes of phonation into a facemask with end occlusion of 6.4-mm diameter results in improved acoustic and aerodynamic voice outcomes for many patients with voice disorders. Future studies should further explore phonatory physiologic changes of the VOFM in a larger sample of patients and translate effects into clinical treatment for patients with voice disorders.
Topics: Cohort Studies; Humans; Masks; Phonation; Prospective Studies; Speech Acoustics; Time Factors; Voice Quality; Voice Training
PubMed: 32586639
DOI: 10.1016/j.jvoice.2020.05.011 -
Journal of Exposure Science &... Sep 2022To elucidate the role of phonation frequency (i.e., pitch) and intensity of speech on respiratory aerosol emissions during sustained phonations.
OBJECTIVE
To elucidate the role of phonation frequency (i.e., pitch) and intensity of speech on respiratory aerosol emissions during sustained phonations.
METHODS
Respiratory aerosol emissions are measured in 40 (24 males and 16 females) healthy, non-trained singers phonating the phoneme /a/ at seven specific frequencies at varying vocal intensity levels.
RESULTS
Increasing frequency of phonation was positively correlated with particle production (r = 0.28, p < 0.001). Particle production rate was also positively correlated (r = 0.37, p < 0.001) with the vocal intensity of phonation, confirming previously reported findings. The primary mode (particle diameter ~0.6 μm) and width of the particle number size distribution were independent of frequency and vocal intensity. Regression models of the particle production rate using frequency, vocal intensity, and the individual subject as predictor variables only produced goodness of fit of adjusted R = 40% (p < 0.001). Finally, it is proposed that superemitters be defined as statistical outliers, which resulted in the identification of one superemitter in the sample of 40 participants.
SIGNIFICANCE
The results suggest there remain unexplored effects (e.g., biomechanical, environmental, behavioral, etc.) that contribute to the high variability in respiratory particle production rates, which ranged from 0.2 particles/s to 142 particles/s across all trials. This is evidenced as well by changes in the distribution of participant particle production that transitions to a more bimodal distribution (second mode at particle diameter ~2 μm) at higher frequencies and vocal intensity levels.
Topics: Female; Humans; Male; Phonation; Respiratory Aerosols and Droplets; Speech
PubMed: 35351959
DOI: 10.1038/s41370-022-00430-z -
Biomechanics and Modeling in... Aug 2023Neck muscles play important roles in various physiological tasks, including swallowing, head stabilization, and phonation. The mechanisms by which neck muscles influence...
Neck muscles play important roles in various physiological tasks, including swallowing, head stabilization, and phonation. The mechanisms by which neck muscles influence phonation are not well understood, with conflicting reports on the change in fundamental frequency for ostensibly the same neck muscle activation scenarios. In this work, we introduce a reduced-order muscle-controlled vocal fold model, comprising both intrinsic muscle control and extrinsic muscle effects. The model predicts that when the neck muscles pull the thyroid cartilage in the superior-anterior direction (with a sufficiently large anterior component), inferior direction, or inferior-anterior direction, tension in the vocal folds increases, leading to fundamental frequency rise during sustained phonation. On the other hand, pulling in the superior direction, superior-posterior direction, or inferior-posterior direction (with a sufficiently large posterior component) tends to decrease vocal fold tension and phonation fundamental frequency. Varying the pulling force location alters the posture and phonation biomechanics, depending on the force direction. These findings suggest potential roles of particular neck muscles in modulating phonation fundamental frequency, with implications for vocal hyperfunction.
Topics: Laryngeal Muscles; Phonation; Vocal Cords; Biomechanical Phenomena; Electric Stimulation
PubMed: 37169957
DOI: 10.1007/s10237-023-01724-3 -
Journal of Speech, Language, and... Apr 2023Given the importance of inspiratory phonation for assessment of vocal fold structure, the aim of this investigation was to evaluate and describe the vocal fold vibratory...
PURPOSE
Given the importance of inspiratory phonation for assessment of vocal fold structure, the aim of this investigation was to evaluate and describe the vocal fold vibratory characteristics of inspiratory phonation using high-speed videoendoscopy in healthy volunteers. The study also examined the empirical relationship between cepstral peak prominence (CPP) and glottal area waveform measurements derived from simultaneous high-speed videoendoscopy and audio recordings.
METHOD
Vocally healthy adults (33 women, 28 men) volunteered for this investigation and completed high-speed videoendoscopic assessment of vocal fold function for two trials of an expiratory/inspiratory phonation task at normal pitch and normal loudness. Twelve glottal area waveform measures and acoustic CPP values were extracted for analyses.
RESULTS
Inspiratory phonation resulted in shorter closing time, longer duration of the opening phase, and faster closing phase velocity compared to expiratory phonation. Sex differences were elucidated. CPP changes for inspiratory phonation were predicted by changes in the glottal area index and waveform symmetry index, whereas changes in CPP during expiratory phonation were predicted by changes in asymmetry quotient, glottal area index, and amplitude periodicity.
CONCLUSIONS
Vocal fold vibratory differences were identified for inspiratory phonation when compared to expiratory phonation, the latter of which has been studied more extensively. This investigation provides important basic inspiratory phonation data to better understand laryngeal physiology in vivo and provides a basic model from which to further study inspiratory phonation in a larger population representing a broader age range.
SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL
https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.22223812.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Female; Male; Laryngoscopy; Biomechanical Phenomena; Phonation; Vocal Cords; Acoustics; Vibration; Video Recording
PubMed: 36917802
DOI: 10.1044/2022_JSLHR-22-00502 -
Brazilian Journal of Otorhinolaryngology 2007Reverse phonation is the voice production during inspiration, accomplished spontaneously in situations such as when a person sighs. (Review)
Review
UNLABELLED
Reverse phonation is the voice production during inspiration, accomplished spontaneously in situations such as when a person sighs.
AIM
to do a literature review, describing discoveries related to the use of the reverse phonation in the clinical practice, the anatomy and physiology of its production and its effects in vocal treatments; and moreover, indications and problems of the technique for speech disorders treatment and voice enhancement.
RESULTS
there were reports of significant changes in vocal treatment during with the use of reverse phonation: ventricular distention, ventricular folds separation, increase in the fundamental frequency, mucous wave inverse movement; and it also facilitates the dynamic study of the larynx when associated with endoscopy, making it possible to have a better definition of lesion localization in vocal folds superficial lamina propria layers.
CONCLUSION
There are few studies describing larynx behavior during reverse phonation and, for this technique to be used in a more precise and objective way, more studies are necessary in order to prove its effectiveness in practical matters.
Topics: Humans; Phonation; Speech Therapy; Voice Disorders; Voice Quality; Voice Training
PubMed: 17589738
DOI: 10.1016/s1808-8694(15)31077-6 -
Journal of Voice : Official Journal of... May 2021Many transwomen seek voice and communication therapy to support their transition from their gender assigned at birth to their gender identity. This has led to an...
Many transwomen seek voice and communication therapy to support their transition from their gender assigned at birth to their gender identity. This has led to an increased need to examine the perception of gender and femininity/masculinity to develop evidence-based intervention practices. In this study, we explore the auditory perception of femininity/masculinity in normally phonated and whispered speech. Transwomen, ciswomen, and cismen were recorded producing /hVd/ words. Naïve listeners rated femininity/masculinity of a speaker's voice using a visual analog scale, rather than completing a binary gender identification task. The results revealed that listeners rated speakers more ambiguously in whispered speech than normally phonated speech. An analysis of speaker and token characteristics revealed that in the normally phonated condition listeners consistently use f0 to rate femininity/masculinity. In addition, some evidence was found for possible contributions of formant frequencies, particularly F2, and duration. Taken together, this provides additional evidence for the salience of f0 and F2 for voice and communication intervention among transwomen.
Topics: Auditory Perception; Female; Femininity; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Male; Masculinity; Phonation; Speech Acoustics; Speech Perception; Transgender Persons
PubMed: 31848063
DOI: 10.1016/j.jvoice.2019.10.011 -
Journal of Voice : Official Journal of... Jan 2022Phonation type, a phonatory dimension ranging from hypofunctional/breathy to hyperfunctional/pressed, is important both from a clinical and acoustical point of view;...
Phonation type, a phonatory dimension ranging from hypofunctional/breathy to hyperfunctional/pressed, is important both from a clinical and acoustical point of view; hyperfunctional voice can lead to voice disorders and hypofunctional voice reduces text intelligibility. Five male singers sang diminuendo sequences of the syllable /pae/ and three of them also produced speech or singing samples with different phonation types which were rated for phonatory pressedness by a panel of voice experts. The sequences were analyzed by inverse filtering and the associated subglottal pressures were estimated as the oral pressures during the /p/ occlusion. The results showed strong quasi-linear correlations between the peak-to-peak amplitude of the flow glottogram (henceforth pulse amplitude) and mean subglottal pressure, mean airflow, and the level difference between the first and second voice source partials L-L. These correlations were found to vary systematically with phonation type. Regardless of phonation type, the correlation between the pulse amplitude and the amplitude of the voice source fundamental frequency was very close to 1.0. The level difference between the first and second spectrum partials L-L in narrow-band long-term-average spectra of speech and singing was found to vary systematically with phonation type in a manner related to voice experts' ratings of perceived degree of pressedness. The findings support the assumption that the combination of subglottal pressure and level of the voice source fundamental is useful for an objective measure of phonation type.
Topics: Glottis; Humans; Male; Phonation; Singing; Speech; Voice
PubMed: 32402665
DOI: 10.1016/j.jvoice.2020.03.018 -
Respiratory Physiology & Neurobiology May 2017The respiratory system is a central part of voice production, but details in breath control during phonation are not yet fully understood. This study therefore aims to...
The respiratory system is a central part of voice production, but details in breath control during phonation are not yet fully understood. This study therefore aims to investigate regional ventilation of the lungs during phonation. It was analyzed in 11 professional singers using electrical impedance tomography during breathing and phonation with maximum phonation time. Our results show differences in impedance changes between phonation and exhalation in the courses of time and amplitude normalized curves. Furthermore, differences related to gender and professionalism were found in the temporal and spatial profiles of regional ventilation. For female singers (sopranos and mezzo-sopranos) the anterior region participated less at the start of ventilation, and was more stable at the midpoint compared to male singers (tenors). This might be an expression of a smaller relative movement in rib cage and anterior diaphragm, primarily in early phonation.
Topics: Adult; Analysis of Variance; Electric Impedance; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Phonation; Pitch Perception; Professional Competence; Respiration; Sex Characteristics; Singing; Time Factors; Tomography; Young Adult
PubMed: 28109943
DOI: 10.1016/j.resp.2017.01.006