Biomechanical Mechanisms of Phonation

描述(由申请人提供)：尽管我们对发声过程的总体理解有了很大的进步，但仍不清楚发声系统的个别几何和材料特性的变化如何影响声带振动和发声。我们目前对发声的理解在很大程度上是基于从集中质量或其他简化的发音模型中获得的结果。这些模型成功地确定了发声的关键要素和特征。然而，这些模型的核心参数往往不能直接测量，也不能很容易地与声带的解剖结构或材料特性相关。由于模型参数与声带真实的、可直接测量的特性之间缺乏对应关系，直接将模型得出的结果转换到临床应用一直存在问题。因此，言语语言病理学家和外科医生往往必须严重依赖经验和他们对振动模式的主观印象来诊断和治疗嗓音障碍。这项拟议研究的长期目标是在声带的基本几何和材料特性与由此产生的声带振动、声学和声音质量之间建立直接联系。要解决的两个主要问题是：1)由于病理或外科手术导致的声带几何和材料特性的变化如何影响声带振动和声音质量？2)声带振动的哪些特征与声带的几何和材料特性有关，因此对嗓音疾病的诊断和最终治疗有帮助？在五年的时间里，我们建议通过解决以下三个具体目标来回答这两个主要问题：1)确定声带几何和材料特性对所产生的声带振动、声学和声音质量的影响；2)量化声带几何和材料特性的左右不对称对所产生的声带振动、声学和声音质量的影响；3)确定声带特性的局部变化对所产生的声带振动、声学和声音质量的影响。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Despite significant advancement in our understanding of the phonation process in general, it still remains unclear how changes in individual geometrical and material properties of the vocal system affect vocal fold vibration and voice production. Our current understanding of phonation is largely based on results obtained from lumped-mass or other simplified phonatory models. These models have successfully identified key elements and features of phonation. However, parameters that are central to these models often cannot be directly measured or easily related to the anatomical structure or material properties of the vocal folds. Due to this lack of correspondence between model parameters and realistic, directly measurable properties of the vocal folds, direct translation of model-derived findings to clinical applications has been problematic. As a result, speech-language pathologists and surgeons often must rely heavily on experience and their subjective impressions of vibratory pattern to diagnose and treat voice disorders. The long-term goal of the proposed research is to establish a direct link between the underlying geometrical and material properties of the vocal folds and the resulting vocal fold vibration, acoustics, and voice quality. The two main questions to be addressed are: 1) How do changes in the geometrical and material properties of the vocal folds, due to either pathologies or surgical procedures, affect vocal fold vibration and voice quality? and 2) What features of the vocal fold vibration are physically related to the geometrical and material properties of the vocal folds and therefore useful for diagnosis of voice disorders and their ultimate management? Over a five-year period, we propose to answer these two main questions by addressing the following three Specific Aims: 1) Determine the influence of vocal fold geometrical and material properties on the resulting vocal fold vibration, acoustics, and voice quality; 2) Quantify the influence of left-right asymmetries in vocal fold geometrical and material properties on the resulting vocal fold vibration, acoustics, and voice quality; 3) Determine the influence of localized changes in vocal fold properties on the resulting vocal fold vibration, acoustics, and voice quality.