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.