Brain activity during phonation in healthy female singers with supraglottic compression: an fMRI pilot study.

This pilot study evaluated the usability of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to detect brain activation during phonation in healthy female singers with supraglottic compression. Four healthy female classical singers (mean age: 26 years) participated in the study. All subjects had normal vocal folds and vocal characteristics and showed supraglottic compression. The fMRI experiment was carried out using a block design paradigm. Brain activation during phonation and exhalation was analyzed using Brain Voyager software (Brain Innovation B.V., Maastricht, The Netherlands). An fMRI data analysis showed a significant effect of phonation control in the bilateral pre/postcentral gyrus, and in the frontal, cingulate, superior and middle temporal gyrus, as well as in the parietal lobe, insula, lingual gyrus, cerebellum, thalamus and brainstem. These activation areas are consistent with previous reports using other fMRI protocols. In addition, a significant effect of phonation compared to exhalation control was found in the bilateral superior temporal gyrus, and the pre/postcentral gyrus. This fMRI pilot study allowed to detect a normal pattern of brain activity during phonation in healthy female singers with supraglottic compression using the proposed protocol. However, the pilot study detected problems with the experimental material/procedures that would necessitate refining the fMRI protocol. The phonation tasks were not capable to show brain activation difference between high-pitched and comfortable phonation. Further fMRI studies manipulating vocal parameters during phonation of the vowels /a/ and /i/ may elicit more distinctive hemodynamic response (HDR) activity patterns relative to voice modulation.

Brain Activity During Phonation in Women With Muscle Tension Dysphonia: An fMRI Study.

OBJECTIVES: The main objectives of this functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study are (1) to investigate brain activity during phonation in women with muscle tension dysphonia (MTD) in comparison with healthy controls; and (2) to explain the neurophysiological mechanism of laryngeal hyperfunction/tension during phonation in patients with MTD. METHODS: Ten women with MTD and fifteen healthy women participated in this study. The fMRI experiment was carried out using a block design paradigm. Brain activation during phonation and exhalation was analyzed using BrainVoyager software. RESULTS: The statistical analysis of fMRI data has demonstrated that MTD patients control phonation by use of the auditory, motor, frontal, parietal, and subcortical areas similar to phonation control by healthy people. Comparison of phonation tasks in the two groups revealed higher brain activities in the precentral gyrus, inferior, middle and superior frontal gyrus, lingual gyrus, insula, cerebellum, midbrain, and brainstem as well as lower brain activities in the cingulate gyrus, superior and middle temporal gyrus, and inferior parietal lobe in the MTD group. No differences were found between the two groups regarding exhalation control. CONCLUSIONS: The findings in this study provide insight into phonation and exhalation control in patients with MTD. The imaging results demonstrated that in patients with MTD, altered (higher/lower) brain activities may result in laryngeal tension and vocal hyperfunction.

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study of Brain Activity Associated With Pitch Adaptation During Phonation in Healthy Women Without Voice Disorders.

OBJECTIVES: This functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study investigated the brain activity associated with pitch adaptation during phonation in healthy women without voice disorders. STUDY DESIGN: This is an interventional prospective study. METHODS: Sixteen healthy women (mean age: 24.3 years) participated in a blocked design fMRI experiment involving two phonation (comfortable phonation and high-pitched phonation) and exhalation (prolonged exhalation) tasks. BrainVoyager QX Version 2.4 software was used for group-level general linear model analysis (q[FDR] < 0.05). RESULTS: Analyses showed a significant main effect of phonation with pitch adaptation compared with rest period in the bilateral precentral gyrus, superior frontal gyrus, posterior cingulate gyrus, superior and middle temporal gyrus, insula and cerebellum, left middle and inferior frontal gyrus, right lingual gyrus, cingulate gyrus, and thalamus. Statistical results also identified a significant main effect of exhalation compared with rest period in the bilateral precentral gyrus, cerebellum, right lingual gyrus, thalamus, and left supramarginal gyrus. In addition, a significant main effect of phonation was found in the bilateral superior temporal gyrus and right insula, as well as in the left midbrain periaqueductal gray for high-pitched phonation only. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated that a blocked design fMRI is sensitive enough to define a widespread network of activation associated with phonation involving pitch variation. The results of this study will be implemented in our future research on phonation and its disorders.

Factors Involved in Vocal Fatigue: A Pilot Study.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this retrospective study was to determine the vocal characteristics of a treatment-seeking population with the primary complaint of vocal fatigue (VF). METHODS: Forty-three men (mean age 42 years, range 19-69) and 145 women (mean age 34 years, range 18-68) were included. None of the subjects had received voice therapy or previous laryngeal surgery. A questionnaire, laryngeal and perceptual evaluations, aerodynamic and acoustic parameters, and the Dysphonia Severity Index (DSI) were used to determine vocal characteristics. RESULTS: In 74% of the subjects, flexible laryngeal videostroboscopic evaluation revealed a vocal pathology, with vocal nodules and muscle tension dysphonia as the most frequently diagnosed pathologies. Vocal abuse/misuse was present in 65% of the subjects. A median DSI value of -0.4 and -0.8 was found in female and male patients, respectively. Aerodynamic and acoustic parameters and DSI scores were significantly different from normative data. CONCLUSION: VF is a vocal sign with a significant need for medical consultation, especially in future professional voice users. Understanding the occurrence and the influencing variables of VF may help to close the gap between early stages of a vocal problem and the starting point of a well-established disorder.