Journal of VoicePub Date : 2025-05-20DOI: 10.1016/j.jvoice.2025.04.026
Kipras Pribuišis, Rytis Maskeliūnas, Nora Ulozaitė-Stanienė, Evaldas Padervinskis, Robertas Damaševičius, Tomas Blažauskas, Virgilijus Uloza
{"title":"Assessment of the Performance of an AI-Driven SpeechEnhancer Algorithm for Speech Enhancement Following Laryngeal Oncosurgery.","authors":"Kipras Pribuišis, Rytis Maskeliūnas, Nora Ulozaitė-Stanienė, Evaldas Padervinskis, Robertas Damaševičius, Tomas Blažauskas, Virgilijus Uloza","doi":"10.1016/j.jvoice.2025.04.026","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2025.04.026","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>The present study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the performance of an AI-driven SpeechEnhancer algorithm speech synthesis following laryngeal oncosurgery.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The original and synthesized speech samples from 77 patients after laryngeal oncosurgery were evaluated in this study. A panel of four experts conducted the auditory-perceptual speech evaluation using the IINFVo and the Similarity Mean Opinion Score (SMOS) scales. The acoustic analysis of speech samples was performed using the Average Voicing Evidence (AVE), Proportion of Voiced Frames (PVF), Proportion of Voiced Speech Frames (PVS) and Acoustic Substitution Voicing Index (ASVI) measures.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The synthesized speech samples outperformed the original speech in acoustic and auditory-perceptual evaluation. The mean total IINFVo scores were statistically significantly higher (P < 0.05) in the synthesized speech samples group [IINFVo = 5.59 (SD = 0.83)] when compared with the original speech samples [IINFVo = 4.18 (SD = 1.11)]. The mean SMOS score of 2.42 (SD = 1.19) demonstrated a modest level of similarity between the synthesized and original speech samples. A statistically significant (P < 0.05) improvement of acoustic AVE, PVF, and PVS parameters in synthesized speech samples was observed. The quality of the synthesized speech [ASVI = 19.22 (SD = 7.44)] statistically significantly (P = 0.001) surpassed the original substitution voicing speech quality (ASVI = 9.39 (SD = 4.34).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The AI-driven \"SpeechEnhancer\" algorithm is a promising tool for speech rehabilitation after laryngeal oncosurgery. It demonstrates the potential for use in clinical settings by healthcare professionals and patients following laryngeal carcinoma surgery.</p>","PeriodicalId":49954,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Voice","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144121248","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Journal of VoicePub Date : 2025-05-17DOI: 10.1016/j.jvoice.2025.04.034
Hakan Gölaç, Güzide Atalık, Emirhan Akyol, Süleyman Cebeci, Mehmet Düzlü, Alper Ceylan
{"title":"Preoperative Vocal Characteristics of Female Patients With Thyroid Disorders.","authors":"Hakan Gölaç, Güzide Atalık, Emirhan Akyol, Süleyman Cebeci, Mehmet Düzlü, Alper Ceylan","doi":"10.1016/j.jvoice.2025.04.034","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2025.04.034","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>This study aimed to investigate the preoperative voice-related outcomes in female patients with thyroid disorders and reveal the possible clinical factors affecting vocal quality.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A prospective case-control study was conducted with a total of 72 participants. The study group (SG) consisted of 24 preoperative female subjects with thyroid disorders (mean ± age, 42.96 ± 13.71 years) and the control group (CG) consisted of 48 normophonic subjects (mean ± age, 42.85 ± 9.61 years). Acoustic [mean F0, jitter, shimmer, harmonics-to-noise ratio (HNR), cepstral peak prominence-smoothed (CPPS)], auditory-perceptual (G parameter of Grade, Roughness, Breathiness, Asthenia, and Strain (GRBAS) scale), and maximum phonation time (MPT) outcomes were compared between the groups. Additionally, the study examined the association between vocal outcomes and various clinical factors, including the final diagnosis based on surgical pathology, preoperative ultrasound characteristics (nodule localization, largest nodule size, and thyroid volume), and thyroid specimen weight following postoperative histologic examination.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>All acoustic parameters (except for HNR) were significantly deteriorated in the SG than in the CG (P < 0.05). Auditory-perceptual comparisons revealed a significantly higher G score of GRBAS in SG than in CG (P < 0.001). However, no significant differences were obtained between the SG and CG for MPT. There was no association between the voice-related measurements and the clinical factors, including final diagnosis, nodule localization, largest nodule size, thyroid volume, and thyroid specimen weight.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Female patients with thyroid disorders may have deviated vocal quality before surgery. A comprehensive voice assessment is recommended to identify dysphonia and enhance treatment outcomes in this population.</p>","PeriodicalId":49954,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Voice","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144095607","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Journal of VoicePub Date : 2025-05-16DOI: 10.1016/j.jvoice.2025.04.021
Denis Michael Rudisch, Kai Tobias Block, Matt Edwards, Aaron M Johnson
{"title":"Investigating Vocal Tract Configurations Across Different Belting Qualities in Female and Male Musical Theater Singers Using Real-Time Dynamic MRI.","authors":"Denis Michael Rudisch, Kai Tobias Block, Matt Edwards, Aaron M Johnson","doi":"10.1016/j.jvoice.2025.04.021","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2025.04.021","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives/hypothesis: </strong>To identify vocal tract configuration patterns in vocally healthy contemporary commercial music (CCM) singers during the production of five industry-typical vocal qualities, including various belting qualities and traditional/legit musical theater singing.</p><p><strong>Study design: </strong>Prospective, observational study.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Seven professional musical theater singers (four females, three males) performed arpeggiated patterns using five different vocal qualities: traditional/legit, neutral belt, brassy belt, warm belt, and rock belt. Real-time magnetic resonance imaging captured midsagittal vocal tract configurations. Eight morphological measures were analyzed: lip opening, jaw opening, jaw protrusion, tongue dorsum height, uvula elevation, oropharyngeal opening, laryngeal height, and laryngeal tilt. Linear mixed-effects modeling explored relationships between vocal qualities and anatomical measurements.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Lip opening, jaw opening, oropharyngeal opening, and laryngeal height showed significant differences across vocal qualities. The traditional/legit voice quality demonstrated the smallest lip, jaw, and oropharyngeal openings with the lowest laryngeal position. Rock belt showed the largest lip and jaw openings. Brassy belt and rock belt featured larger oropharyngeal space and higher tongue positions than other qualities, creating a \"tube-like\" shape rather than the previously suggested megaphone shape. Laryngeal positioning was elevated in all belting styles, but not in traditional/legit. No significant differences were found between male and female participants. Lower pitch tasks were characterized by smaller lip, jaw, and oropharyngeal openings compared with higher pitch tasks.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This pilot study revealed distinct vocal tract configurations for different vocal qualities, particularly between traditional/legit and belting styles. The findings challenge previous assumptions about megaphone-shaped vocal tracts in belting, demonstrating more complex configurations. These results provide a foundation for identifying typical versus atypical vocal tract adjustments in CCM singing, with implications for voice pedagogy and clinical practice.</p>","PeriodicalId":49954,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Voice","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144095604","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Journal of VoicePub Date : 2025-05-16DOI: 10.1016/j.jvoice.2025.04.025
Clara Leyns, Evelien D'haeseleer
{"title":"Exploring the Role of Outcome Predictors in Gender-Affirming Voice Care for Transgender Women.","authors":"Clara Leyns, Evelien D'haeseleer","doi":"10.1016/j.jvoice.2025.04.025","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2025.04.025","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Gender-affirming voice care for transgender women has seen significant advancements, with researchers exploring the acoustic and perceptual outcomes of various interventions. This study aimed to explore possible outcome predictors in a gender-affirming voice training program for transgender women.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>This study included 30 transgender women who completed 10 weeks of gender-affirming voice training. Participant-reported outcomes, listener perceptions of femininity of the voice, and acoustic measures were assessed before and after the training. Potential outcome predictors, such as age, musicality, and home exercise, were analyzed using linear regression models.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>While the regression models lacked statistical significance, the data suggested some trends. Younger participants and those with higher musicality scores showed greater improvements in voice femininity, as perceived by listeners and self-reported by the participants. An explorative model of musicality and home exercise, also explained a small portion of variance in listener perception changes.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Future research with larger samples is needed to better understand these relationships. The findings suggest clinicians should consider personalized approaches, assessing musicality, setting age-appropriate expectations, and emphasizing home practice to optimize gender-affirming voice training results.</p>","PeriodicalId":49954,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Voice","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144095601","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A Descriptive Study on the Vocal Behaviors in Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Vocal Hygiene Knowledge and Phonotraumatic Behaviors.","authors":"Özlem Beşik Topçu, Fatma Esen Aydınlı, Meltem Çiğdem Kirazlı, Merve Öğülmüş Uysal, Cihan Aslan, Halime Tuna Çak Esen, Esra Özcebe","doi":"10.1016/j.jvoice.2025.04.028","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2025.04.028","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Aim: </strong>This study aimed to investigate the level of vocal hygiene knowledge and phonotraumatic behaviors in children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The study included 25 children with ADHD, aged 8-11 years, and 25 age- and sex-matched typically developing children and their caregivers. All children were considered nondysphonic based on a Pediatric Voice Handicap Index (pVHI) score of <13. The children completed the Vocal Hygiene Knowledge Level Form, which was developed by the authors. Parents completed the Checklist Form, Conners's Parent Rating Scale-Revised Short Form, pVHI, and the Pediatric Phonotrauma Assessment Questions for Parents Form developed by the authors.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Children with ADHD had more frequent phonotraumatic behaviors than typically developing children (P = 0.014). There was no significant difference in vocal hygiene knowledge between the two groups (P = 0.162).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Although children with ADHD had similar levels of vocal hygiene knowledge compared to typically developing children, they had higher rates of phonotraumatic behaviors. These findings indicate a higher risk of dysphonia in children with ADHD. It is suggested that the results of the present study may increase the awareness of voice professions in developing preventive approaches for vocal health in children with ADHD.</p>","PeriodicalId":49954,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Voice","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144087014","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Journal of VoicePub Date : 2025-05-15DOI: 10.1016/j.jvoice.2025.04.009
Devin Dolquist, Victoria Vargas, Shayna Isaacs, Andre Chiang
{"title":"The Bound Breath: Transmasculine and Gender Nonconforming Singers' Perceived Effects of Chest Binding on Singing.","authors":"Devin Dolquist, Victoria Vargas, Shayna Isaacs, Andre Chiang","doi":"10.1016/j.jvoice.2025.04.009","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2025.04.009","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Chest binding is a gender-affirming practice used by many transmasculine and gender nonconforming individuals to achieve the appearance of a flatter chest without surgical intervention. While the potential harmful effects of chest binding are relatively well-established, the effects of chest binding on singing remain under-explored. This survey, the first of its kind, surveys thirty-eight Twin Cities-based singers of varying levels who have worn or currently wear chest binders while singing. Participants reported that binding gave significant mental health benefits while singing, as well as perceptions of physical limitations such as difficulty with inhalation, loss of singing stamina, and decreased voice volume. Despite the physical limitations, participants reported a preference to bind while singing. These findings highlight a need for binding-focused, gender-inclusive singing pedagogy, as well as further research into optimizing compression garments for singing and the physical and perceived effects of binding while singing on a larger population.</p>","PeriodicalId":49954,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Voice","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144087018","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Journal of VoicePub Date : 2025-05-14DOI: 10.1016/j.jvoice.2023.04.017
Sediqe Safaeyan, Younes Amiri-Shavaki, Mohammad Kamali, Masoud Roudbari, Mohammad-Sadegh Jenabi
{"title":"Voice Handicap Index, Vocal Tract Discomfort, and Acoustic and Perceptual Evaluations in Speech-Language Pathologists.","authors":"Sediqe Safaeyan, Younes Amiri-Shavaki, Mohammad Kamali, Masoud Roudbari, Mohammad-Sadegh Jenabi","doi":"10.1016/j.jvoice.2023.04.017","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2023.04.017","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Subject: </strong>Speech-language pathologists (SLPs), in line with their professional duties, have to use their voice frequently and preserve it at an optimal level of quality. There is little research on the effect of vocal status on the life of SLPs; therefore, the relationship between voice handicap index (VHI), acoustic, and perceptual parameters of voice among SLPs was determined as the subject of this study.</p><p><strong>Materials and methods: </strong>Sixty-two SLPs with a mean age of 32.9 ± 7.7 years were studied. They were divided into two groups by vocal complaint questionnaire: with (n = 48) and without (n = 14) vocal complaints (WVC and WOVC). Perceptual assessments were VHI-30, vocal tract discomfort (VTD) scale, and Consensus Auditory-Perceptual Evaluation of Voice (CAPE-V). Finally, acoustic analysis was performed for F0, jitter, shimmer, and harmonic-to-noise ratio. A comparison of differences for VHI-30, VTD, CAPE-V, and acoustic measures was made between the two groups, and Spearman's correlation coefficient between acoustic measures, CAPE-V, and VTD with VHI-30 was calculated. The level of significance was set at α = 0.05.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Despite the lack of significant differences in acoustic and CAPE-V measures between the WVC and WOVC groups (P > 0.05), there were significantly higher VHI-30 scores (P < 0.001) and frequency (P = 0.01) and severity (P = 0.02) of VTD in the WVC group. A significant positive correlation was observed between VHI-30 with frequency and severity of VTD (P < 0.01), but no significant correlation was found between acoustic measures and CAPE-V measures with VHI-30 (P > 0.05).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>However, the two groups had considerable differences in VHI-30 scores and VTD. Neither of the participants had \"voice disorder\" based on the cut-off of VHI-30 and the range of acoustic and CAPE-V measures. It may be related to clinical experiences with vocal health. On the other hand, any sensation in the throat may be correlated to voice handicap straightly and should be noticed more by SLPs.</p>","PeriodicalId":49954,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Voice","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144081759","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Worldwide Prevalence of Voice Disorders Among Schoolteachers: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.","authors":"Kowsar Baghban, Golnoosh Golmohamadi, Faezeh Asadollahpour","doi":"10.1016/j.jvoice.2025.04.018","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2025.04.018","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to estimate the global prevalence of voice disorders (VDs) among teachers and to identify key demographic, occupational, and environmental risk factors.</p><p><strong>Study design: </strong>A systematic review and meta-analysis.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A comprehensive literature search was conducted across PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, EMBASE, CENTRAL (Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials), and EBSCO-HOST from 1991 to October 2024, in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Observational studies reporting the prevalence of VDs among teachers were included. A random-effects meta-analysis was used to estimate pooled prevalence rates, and subgroup analyses explored sources of heterogeneity.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 62 studies, comprising 100 684 participants, were included. The pooled point prevalence of VDs among teachers was 37.7% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 29.5%, 46%). Lifetime prevalence reached 63.1% (95% CI: 58.2%, 67.9%), while prevalence across teaching career was 54.3% (95% CI: 40.4%, 68.1%). Subgroup analyses revealed significant variations by continent, sex, years of teaching experience, and class size. Female teachers exhibited a higher prevalence (47.3%) than males (34.1%). Studies using self-assessment methods reported higher prevalence rates than those relying on vocal complaints.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>VDs are highly prevalent among teachers, with significant variations based on demographic and occupational factors. The findings highlight the urgent need for preventive interventions, including vocal hygiene education, voice training programs, and workplace modifications, to reduce the burden of VDs in this population.</p>","PeriodicalId":49954,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Voice","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144003401","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Journal of VoicePub Date : 2025-05-09DOI: 10.1016/j.jvoice.2025.04.006
Mark Berardi, Erin Tippit, Yixiang Gao, Guilherme N DeSouza, Maria Dietrich
{"title":"Automated Analysis of Relative Fundamental Frequency in Continuous Speech: Development and Comparison of Three Processing Pipelines.","authors":"Mark Berardi, Erin Tippit, Yixiang Gao, Guilherme N DeSouza, Maria Dietrich","doi":"10.1016/j.jvoice.2025.04.006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2025.04.006","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Relative fundamental frequency (RFF) estimates laryngeal tension during speech, providing insights into vocal effort. Current methods to derive RFF from continuous speech require manual processing, hindering large-scale studies with ecologically valid speech productions. This research aimed to develop and evaluate three fully automated pipelines for RFF analysis from continuous speech, addressing this limitation.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Three pipelines were compared: two modifications of an existing semiautomated approach [automated relative fundamental frequency (aRFF)-AP] and one novel pipeline replicating manual analysis. The pipelines were tested on speech samples containing vowel-consonant-vowel (VCV) utterances from 82 female participants with and without vocal fatigue complaints in the absence of phonotraumatic vocal fold changes. The pipelines automatically segmented VCVs and measured RFF. Manual measurements of a subset provided reliability and validity benchmarks.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>All pipelines demonstrated good reliability (r ≥ 0.84) and validity when compared with manual analysis. They required minimal manual correction (<4%) for fricative identification. Notably, the novel aRFF-B pipeline rejected the fewest samples (10%-25%) while maintaining reliability and was able to leverage parallel computing.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Three automated pipelines, especially aRFF-B, enabled time-efficient RFF analysis of large continuous speech data sets without manual intervention. This advancement can facilitate large-scale studies using RFF applied to continuous speech, potentially expanding its application in voice research and clinical practice.</p>","PeriodicalId":49954,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Voice","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144028845","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Journal of VoicePub Date : 2025-05-09DOI: 10.1016/j.jvoice.2025.03.038
Natalie Y-K Lau, Estella P-M Ma
{"title":"A Comparison of the Effects of Acute Whole-Body Vibration for Relieving Vocal Fatigue in Young and Older Adults.","authors":"Natalie Y-K Lau, Estella P-M Ma","doi":"10.1016/j.jvoice.2025.03.038","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2025.03.038","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Whole-body vibration (WBV) is a novel treatment to alleviate vocal fatigue, but the evidence in older adults is limited. This study applies WBV in young and older adults to explore how age and vibration duration may influence its relaxation effect.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Eighteen older females (mean age 65.56 years) and 18 young females (mean age 22.39 years) with healthy voice participated in karaoke singing to induce vocal fatigue, followed by 15 minutes of WBV. Participants' vocal changes were measured using i) the highest fundamental frequency produced, ii) self-perceived vocal effort, and iii) vocal fatigue level at six timepoints (prevocal loading, postvocal loading, post 5-minute WBV, post 10-minute WBV, post 15-minute WBV, and 15 minutes postWBV completion).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A significant main effect of vibration duration (P < 0.001) and an interaction effect (age x vibration duration) (P < 0.05) were found for self-perceived vocal effort and vocal fatigue level. Both groups showed significant fatigue reduction after receiving 5 minutes of WBV, but recovery slowed down for older adults after receiving WBV for 10 minutes. A significant main effect of age (P < 0.001) was found for the highest fundamental frequency.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The results support that WBV may be used in both older and younger adults for vocal fatigue relief.</p>","PeriodicalId":49954,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Voice","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144058543","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}