Biomechanics of voice production

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Voice disorders are the most common communication disorders across the lifespan. An estimated 3-9% of children and adults have a voice problem at any given point in time. More than 50% of individuals who use their voice in their profession, such as actors and singers, experience a voice disorder at some point during their career. The long term goals of the proposed multidisciplinary research program involve the application of knowledge and methods from mechanical engineering, such as design, finite element modeling and mechanical testing, to basic research in laryngology with the purpose of improving therapeutic methods and implants. The specific aims of the proposed research are: 1) to use novel experimental methods to accurately quantify the mechanical viscoelastic behaviour of vocal fold tissue at the macroscopic and microscopic scales; 2) to create mathematical models of the mechanical response of vocal fold tissue under mechanical loads, based on parameters characterizing the microstructure of the material and its biological and chemical composition and organization; 3) to design and build a high-fidelity vocal fold bioreactor that accurately replicates stresses and strains associated with voice production, with similar kinematic and dynamic features; and 4) to create finite element models of the vibrations of healthy and diseased vocal folds that are specific to individual subjects and based on three-dimensional images of the larynx long with data obtained from high-speed video-endoscopy, electro-glottography and inverse-filtered glottal airflow rate. The accurate quantification of mechanical stresses is needed for eventual correlations with the quantity of key biological factors involved in vocal fold injury and recovery. This may help the development of new technologies for wound repair and supply valuable modeling tools that could be useful in future therapeutic treatments. Such models may one day, for example, help determine the optimal voice regime following phonotrauma. This constitutes a small step towards the long-term goal of patient-specific treatment and care.