Correlating an Ambulatory Voice Measure to Electrodermal Activity in Patients with Vocal Hyperfunction

Area of Science:

• Speech and Voice Science
• Autonomic Nervous System Research
• Medical Physiology

Background:

• Vocal hyperfunction disorders can impact voice quality and vocal fold health.
• The autonomic nervous system (ANS) regulates involuntary bodily functions, potentially influencing vocalization.
• Understanding the interplay between the ANS and the vocal system is crucial for comprehending vocal disorders.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between autonomic nervous system activity and vocal function in patients with vocal hyperfunction.
• To develop and validate a methodology for simultaneously measuring vocal and autonomic parameters.
• To explore potential differences in this relationship between patients and healthy controls.

Main Methods:

• Ambulatory, multi-modal data collection including voice recordings and wrist-based electrodermal activity (EDA).
• Calculation of vocal function measures (e.g., fundamental frequency) and autonomic function measures (e.g., skin conductance response).
• Statistical analysis using Spearman correlation coefficients over sliding windows to assess real-time coupling.

Main Results:

• Preliminary evidence suggests a coupling between the autonomic nervous system and the vocal system in patients with non-phonotraumatic vocal hyperfunction.
• Individual variability in the strength and nature of this coupling was observed.
• No significant coupling was found in the healthy-control group during the preliminary analysis.

Conclusions:

• The autonomic nervous system may play a role in the pathophysiology of certain types of vocal hyperfunction.
• This research opens avenues for novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies targeting the ANS in vocal disorders.
• Further research is needed to confirm these findings and elucidate the precise mechanisms involved.