scholarly journals Mapping Thyroarytenoid and Cricothyroid Activations to Postural and Acoustic Features in a Fiber-Gel Model of the Vocal Folds

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (21) ◽  
pp. 4671
Author(s):  
Palaparthi ◽  
Smith ◽  
Titze

Any specific vowel sound that humans produce can be represented in terms of four perceptual features in addition to the vowel category. They are pitch, loudness, brightness, and roughness. Corresponding acoustic features chosen here are fundamental frequency (fo), sound pressure level (SPL), normalized spectral centroid (NSC), and approximate entropy (ApEn). In this study, thyroarytenoid (TA) and cricothyroid (CT) activations were varied computationally to study their relationship with these four specific acoustic features. Additionally, postural and material property variables such as vocal fold length (L) and fiber stress (σ) in the three vocal fold tissue layers were also calculated. A fiber-gel finite element model developed at National Center for Voice and Speech was used for this purpose. Muscle activation plots were generated to obtain the dependency of postural and acoustic features on TA and CT muscle activations. These relationships were compared against data obtained from previous in vivo human larynx studies and from canine laryngeal studies. General trends are that fo and SPL increase with CT activation, while NSC decreases when CT activation is raised above 20%. With TA activation, acoustic features have no uniform trends, except SPL increases uniformly with TA if there is a co-variation with CT activation. Trends for postural variables and material properties are also discussed in terms of activation levels.


2014 ◽  
Vol 136 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Yin ◽  
Zhaoyan Zhang

Although it is known vocal fold adduction is achieved through laryngeal muscle activation, it is still unclear how interaction between individual laryngeal muscle activations affects vocal fold adduction and vocal fold stiffness, both of which are important factors determining vocal fold vibration and the resulting voice quality. In this study, a three-dimensional (3D) finite element model was developed to investigate vocal fold adduction and changes in vocal fold eigenfrequencies due to the interaction between the lateral cricoarytenoid (LCA) and thyroarytenoid (TA) muscles. The results showed that LCA contraction led to a medial and downward rocking motion of the arytenoid cartilage in the coronal plane about the long axis of the cricoid cartilage facet, which adducted the posterior portion of the glottis but had little influence on vocal fold eigenfrequencies. In contrast, TA activation caused a medial rotation of the vocal folds toward the glottal midline, resulting in adduction of the anterior portion of the glottis and significant increase in vocal fold eigenfrequencies. This vocal fold-stiffening effect of TA activation also reduced the posterior adductory effect of LCA activation. The implications of the results for phonation control are discussed.



1993 ◽  
Vol 102 (10) ◽  
pp. 769-776 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hong-Shik Choi ◽  
Ming Ye ◽  
Gerald S. Berke ◽  
Jody Kreiman

Fundamental frequency is controlled by contraction of the thyroarytenoid (TA) and cricothyroid (CT) muscles. While activity of the CT muscle is known to tense and thin the vocal folds, little is known about the effect of the TA muscle on vocal fold vibration. An in vivo canine laryngeal model was used to examine the role of the TA muscle in controlling phonation. Isolated TA muscle activation was obtained by stimulating sectioned terminal TA branches through small thyroid cartilage windows. Subglottic pressure measures, electroglottographic and photoglottographic signals, and acoustic signals were obtained in 5 mongrel dogs during dynamic and static variations in TA muscle activity. Results indicated that TA muscle activation is a major determinant in sudden shifts from high-frequency to modal phonation. Subglottic pressure increased and open quotient decreased gradually with increasing TA activation.



2017 ◽  
Vol 60 (9) ◽  
pp. 2452-2471 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriel E. Galindo ◽  
Sean D. Peterson ◽  
Byron D. Erath ◽  
Christian Castro ◽  
Robert E. Hillman ◽  
...  

Purpose Our goal was to test prevailing assumptions about the underlying biomechanical and aeroacoustic mechanisms associated with phonotraumatic lesions of the vocal folds using a numerical lumped-element model of voice production. Method A numerical model with a triangular glottis, posterior glottal opening, and arytenoid posturing is proposed. Normal voice is altered by introducing various prephonatory configurations. Potential compensatory mechanisms (increased subglottal pressure, muscle activation, and supraglottal constriction) are adjusted to restore an acoustic target output through a control loop that mimics a simplified version of auditory feedback. Results The degree of incomplete glottal closure in both the membranous and posterior portions of the folds consistently leads to a reduction in sound pressure level, fundamental frequency, harmonic richness, and harmonics-to-noise ratio. The compensatory mechanisms lead to significantly increased vocal-fold collision forces, maximum flow-declination rate, and amplitude of unsteady flow, without significantly altering the acoustic output. Conclusion Modeling provided potentially important insights into the pathophysiology of phonotraumatic vocal hyperfunction by demonstrating that compensatory mechanisms can counteract deterioration in the voice acoustic signal due to incomplete glottal closure, but this also leads to high vocal-fold collision forces (reflected in aerodynamic measures), which significantly increases the risk of developing phonotrauma.



2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryosuke Nakamura ◽  
Nao Hiwatashi ◽  
Renjie Bing ◽  
Carina P. Doyle ◽  
Ryan C. Branski

AbstractVocal fold (VF) fibrosis is a major cause of intractable voice-related disability and reduced quality of life. Excision of fibrotic regions is suboptimal and associated with scar recurrence and/or further iatrogenic damage. Non-surgical interventions are limited, putatively related to limited insight regarding biochemical events underlying fibrosis, and downstream, the lack of therapeutic targets. YAP/TAZ integrates diverse cell signaling events and interacts with signaling pathways related to fibrosis, including the TGF-β/SMAD pathway. We investigated the expression of YAP/TAZ following vocal fold injury in vivo as well as the effects of TGF-β1 on YAP/TAZ activity in human vocal fold fibroblasts, fibroblast-myofibroblast transition, and TGF-β/SMAD signaling. Iatrogenic injury increased nuclear localization of YAP and TAZ in fibrotic rat vocal folds. In vitro, TGF-β1 activated YAP and TAZ in human VF fibroblasts, and inhibition of YAP/TAZ reversed TGF-β1-stimulated fibroplastic gene upregulation. Additionally, TGF-β1 induced localization of YAP and TAZ in close proximity to SMAD2/3, and nuclear accumulation of SMAD2/3 was inhibited by a YAP/TAZ inhibitor. Collectively, YAP and TAZ were synergistically activated with the TGF-β/SMAD pathway, and likely essential for the fibroplastic phenotypic shift in VF fibroblasts. Based on these data, YAP/TAZ may evolve as an attractive therapeutic target for VF fibrosis.



2018 ◽  
Vol 140 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Quental Carlos ◽  
Azevedo Margarida ◽  
Ambrósio Jorge ◽  
Gonçalves S. B. ◽  
Folgado João

Abstract Most dynamic simulations are based on inverse dynamics, being the time-dependent physiological nature of the muscle properties rarely considered due to numerical challenges. Since the influence of muscle physiology on the consistency of inverse dynamics simulations remains unclear, the purpose of the present study is to evaluate the computational efficiency and biological validity of four musculotendon models that differ in the simulation of the muscle activation and contraction dynamics. Inverse dynamic analyses are performed using a spatial musculoskeletal model of the upper limb. The muscle force-sharing problem is solved for five repetitions of unloaded and loaded motions of shoulder abduction and shoulder flexion. The performance of the musculotendon models is evaluated by comparing muscle activation predictions with electromyography (EMG) signals, measured synchronously with motion for 11 muscles, and the glenohumeral joint reaction forces estimated numerically with those measured in vivo. The results show similar muscle activations for all muscle models. Overall, high cross-correlations are computed between muscle activations and the EMG signals measured for all movements analyzed, which provides confidence in the results. The glenohumeral joint reaction forces estimated compare well with those measured in vivo, but the influence of the muscle dynamics is found to be negligible. In conclusion, for slow-speed, standard movements of the upper limb, as those studied here, the activation and musculotendon contraction dynamics can be neglected in inverse dynamic analyses without compromising the prediction of muscle and joint reaction forces.



Author(s):  
L. Hai ◽  
A. M. Al-Jumaily ◽  
A. Mirnajafi

The vibration characteristics of the vocal folds are investigated using a finite element model which incorporates the in-homogeneity and anisotropy of the materials and the irregularity of the geometry. The model employs the cover and body theory to build the structure of the vocal folds and implements measured viscoelastic properties of the mucosa and the transverse isotropic elastic properties of the muscles. It has the potential to simulate some vocal-fold disorders and determine the change in characteristics. To determine the oscillation characteristics of the folds, the eigenfrequency and eigenmodes of the finite element model are determined using the ABAQUS software. The model results compare well with some experiments performed on a silicon vocal fold. It is anticipated that the model will help to identify voice disorders such as vocal-fold paralysis and vocal-fold nodules.



Author(s):  
Zhipeng Lou ◽  
Junshi Wang ◽  
James J. Daniero ◽  
Haibo Dong ◽  
Jinxiang Xi

Abstract In this paper, a numerical approach combined with experiments is employed to characterize the airflow through the vocal cord. Rabbits are used to perform in vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) experiments and the MRI scan data are directly imposed for the three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of a 3D high-fidelity model. The vibration modes are observed via the in vivo high-speed videoendoscopy (HSVM) technique, and the time-dependent glottal height is evaluated dynamically for the validation of the 3D reconstruction model. 72 sets of rabbit in vivo high-speed recordings are evaluated to achieve the most common vibration mode. The reconstruction is mainly based on MRI data and the HSVM records are supporting and validate the 3D model. A sharp-interface immersed-boundary-method (IBM)-based compressible flow solver is employed to compute the airflow. The primary purpose of the computational effort is to characterize the influence of the vocal folds that applied to the airflow and the airflow-induced phonation. The vocal fold kinematics and the vibration modes are quantified and the vortex structures are analyzed under the influence of vocal folds. The results have shown significant effects of the vocal fold height on the vortex structure, vorticity and velocity. The reconstructed 3D model from this work helps to bring insight into further understanding of the rabbit phonation mechanism. The results provide potential improvement for diagnosis of human vocal fold dysfunction and phonation disorder.



Author(s):  
James S. Drechsel ◽  
Jacob B. Munger ◽  
Allyson A. Pulsipher ◽  
Scott L. Thomson

The human vocal folds are responsible for sound production during normal speech, and a study of their flow-induced vibrations can lead to improved prevention and treatment of voice disorders. However, studying the vocal folds in vivo or using excised larynges has several disadvantages. Therefore, alternatives exist using either synthetic (physical) and/or computational vocal fold models. In order to be physiologically relevant, the behavior and properties of these models must reasonably match those of the human vocal folds.



Author(s):  
Shinji Deguchi ◽  
Kazutaka Kawashima

Mechanical properties of the vocal folds (such as stiffness or viscoelastic properties) play an essential role in phonation. They affect not only voice quality but also onset threshold of vocal fold self-excited oscillation, a sound source of voice [1]. Many experimental data on the mechanical properties have been reported so far, in which in vitro [2] or in vivo measurement techniques [3] were employed. In vitro measurements give us detailed information on the mechanical properties, yet it would be required to consider possible loss of freshness of the specimen. Meanwhile, current in vivo measurement methods utilize a thin probe to deform the vocal fold tissue located at the back of the throat and hence need technical skills for the surveyor to successfully obtain its loading-deformation relationship.



2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (13) ◽  
pp. 2735 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul J. Hadwin ◽  
Mohsen Motie-Shirazi ◽  
Byron D. Erath ◽  
Sean D. Peterson

Bayesian estimation has been previously demonstrated as a viable method for developing subject-specific vocal fold models from observations of the glottal area waveform. These prior efforts, however, have been restricted to lumped-element fitting models and synthetic observation data. The indirect relationship between the lumped-element parameters and physical tissue properties renders extracting the latter from the former difficult. Herein we propose a finite element fitting model, which treats the vocal folds as a viscoelastic deformable body comprised of three layers. Using the glottal area waveforms generated by self-oscillating silicone vocal folds we directly estimate the elastic moduli, density, and other material properties of the silicone folds using a Bayesian importance sampling approach. Estimated material properties agree with the “ground truth” experimental values to within 3 % for most parameters. By considering cases with varying subglottal pressure and medial compression we demonstrate that the finite element model coupled with Bayesian estimation is sufficiently sensitive to distinguish between experimental configurations. Additional information not available experimentally, namely, contact pressures, are extracted from the developed finite element models. The contact pressures are found to increase with medial compression and subglottal pressure, in agreement with expectation.



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