Respiratory Dynamics of Vocally Healthy Young Men During Phonatory Tasks to Assess Vocal Functionality: Normative Data for Clinical Practice

• Grant number: 23/18159-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: April 01, 2024
• End date: December 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Speech Therapy
• Principal Investigator: Rosiane Kimiko Yamasaki Odagima
• Grantee: Leonardo Beltrão
• Host Institution: Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus São Paulo. São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Introduction: Studies show the important interaction between the respiratory and phonatory subsystems in voice production. A simple strategy that evaluates the integration between these subsystems is the dynamic vocal analysis - DVA, which makes it possible to analyze vocal functionality through emissions with variations in vocal frequency and intensity. Although the respiratory subsystem is considered the basis of vocal production, there is still a lack of normative data on the respiratory dynamics of the vocally healthy population. Such normative data may be used in the future to compare dysphonic individuals. Objectives: 1. Investigate the respiratory dynamics of vocally healthy young men while performing DVA tasks using respiratory inductance plethysmography; 2. establish normative data on the respiratory dynamics of young men during frequency and intensity variation tasks. Method: 36 vocally healthy male individuals, aged 18 to 45 years, will participate in the research. The DVA will be performed with emission of continuous speech and sustained vowel. The continuous speech task will consist of counting from 1 to 20 at three different intensities: habitual, weak and strong. The sustained vowel task will consist of five emissions of the vowel "é" at maximum phonation times: habitual frequency, high and low; and in weak and strong intensity. Respiratory dynamics will be analyzed by respiratory inductance plethysmography with the use of three respiratory belts, one positioned at the level of the armpit (expansion of the upper region of the rib cage), one in the region of the floating ribs (expansibility of the diaphragm region) and another in the abdominal region. Plethysmography records will be recorded and stored for analysis. Respiratory plethysmography parameters: quantity and duration of respiratory cycles in the chained speech task; measurements of the amplitude of inspiratory and expiratory movements during connected speech and sustained vowel tasks, in mV; and measurements of maximum phonation times, in seconds. For reproducibility analysis purposes, the tasks will be repeated twice, consecutively. Method of analyzing results: Normative data on the respiratory dynamics of vocally healthy young adults will enable future comparisons with those of dysphonic patients.