Oral and Laryngeal Diadochokinesis Across the Life Span: A Scoping Review of Methods, Reference Data, and Clinical Applications

Purpose: The aim of this study was to conduct a scoping review of research on oral and laryngeal diadochokinesis (DDK) in children and adults, either typically developing/developed or with a clinical diagnosis. Method: Searches were conducted with PubMed/MEDLINE, Google Scholar, CINAHL, and legacy sources in retrieved articles. Search terms included the following: DDK, alternating motion rate, maximum repetition rate, sequential motion rate, and syllable repetition rate. Results: Three hundred sixty articles were retrieved and included in the review. Data source tables for children and adults list the number and ages of study participants, DDK task, and language(s) spoken. Cross-sectional data for typically developing children and typically developed adults are compiled for the monosyllables /pʌ/, /tʌ/, and /kʌ/; the trisyllable /pʌtʌkʌ/; and laryngeal DDK. In addition, DDK results are summarized for 26 disorders or conditions. Discussion: A growing number of multidisciplinary reports on DDK affirm its role in clinical practice and research across the world. Atypical DDK is not a well-defined singular entity but rather a label for a collection of disturbances associated with diverse etiologies, including motoric, structural, sensory, and cognitive. The clinical value of DDK can be optimized by consideration of task parameters, analysis method, and population of interest.

Quantifying Vocal Power: Correlation of Whole-Body Anaerobic Power to Vocal Function Measures

Purpose The purpose of this preliminary study was to identify a vocal task that could be used as a clinical indicator of the vocal aptitude or vocal fitness required for vocally demanding occupations in a manner similar to that of the anaerobic power tests commonly used in exercise science. Performance outcomes for vocal tasks that require rapid acceleration and high force production may be useful as an indirect indicator of muscle fiber complement and bioenergetic fitness of the larynx, an organ that is difficult to study directly. Method Sixteen women (age range: 19–24 years, M age = 22 years) were consented for participation and completed the following performance measures: forced vital capacity, three adapted vocal function tasks, and the horizontal sprint test. Results Using a within-participant correlational analyses, results indicated a positive relationship between the rate of the last second of a laryngeal diadochokinesis task that was produced at a high fundamental frequency/high sound level and anaerobic power. Forced vital capacity was not correlated with any of the vocal function tasks. Conclusions These preliminary results indicate that aspects of the laryngeal diadochokinesis task produced at a high fundamental frequency and high sound level may be useful as an ecologically valid measure of vocal power ability. Quantification of vocal power ability may be useful as a vocal fitness assessment or as an outcome measure for voice rehabilitation and habilitation for patients with vocally demanding jobs.

Neuroradiology and voice findings in stroke

Neurological dysphonias are vocal disorders followed by injuries or changes in the nervous system. Stroke is the second leading cause of death worldwide and the brain damage caused by it can affect communication in several aspects. The changes in the vocal features caused by these lesions are poorly described regarding the location and extent of cerebral involvement. The aim of this study was to describe vocal parameters of ten elderly patients affected by stroke according to the topography of the lesion at neuroimaging. We recorded from them: perceptual and auditory evaluation of voice and laryngeal diadochokinesis. Neuroimaging studies were classified according to location, extent, laterality territory of brain injury. The results show a population of extensive middle cerebral artery strokes and strokes with varied location in the brain. The subjects' voices showed predominantly the presence of roughness, breathiness, richeness and instability, and change in laryngeal motor control, demonstrated by reduced speed and instability in laryngeal diadochokinesis. These features presented in patients with extensive middle cerebral artery stroke and in patients with short strokes with varied location in the brain. The results suggest that the vocal features in the assessed cases do not depend only on the topography of the brain damage. Thus, it is important to consider the patient as unique in clinical evaluation.