The Influence of Linguistic Demand on Symptom Expression in Adductor Spasmodic Dysphonia

Influence of Phonatory Break Duration and Pause Time on Auditory-Perceptual Ratings of Speech Acceptability and Listener Comfort in Adductor-Type Laryngeal Dystonia

INTRODUCTION

This study empirically evaluated the influence of phonatory break duration and pause time on auditory-perceptual measures of speech produced by 26 adult speakers diagnosed with adductor-type laryngeal dystonia (AdLD).

TYPE OF STUDY

Experimental.

METHODS

Fifteen inexperienced, young adult normal-hearing listeners provided ratings of speech acceptability and listener comfort for samples of running speech. Four phonatory break and pause time conditions were assessed using visual analog scaling methods. All stimuli were randomized for presentation and listeners were presented with experimental stimuli in a counterbalanced manner.

RESULTS

Results indicate that the duration of phonatory breaks directly influenced listener ratings of speech acceptability (P < 0.001) and listener comfort (P < 0.001), with significant differences between original and modified recordings for both. Speech acceptability and listener comfort ratings were strongly correlated across all timing conditions (r = 0.85-0.97).

CONCLUSIONS

The duration of phonatory breaks and pauses have significantly influence judgments of speech acceptability and listener comfort for AdLD. This suggests that temporal factors such as phonatory break duration and pause time in AdLD may carry substantial negative impact on listeners' perception relative to other auditory-perceptual features that co-exist in the signal.

The Dystonia Coalition: A Multicenter Network for Clinical and Translational Studies

Dystonia is a movement disorder characterized by sustained or intermittent muscle contractions causing abnormal postures, repetitive movements, or both. Research in dystonia has been challenged by several factors. First, dystonia is uncommon. Dystonia is not a single disorder but a family of heterogenous disorders with varied clinical manifestations and different causes. The different subtypes may be seen by providers in different clinical specialties including neurology, ophthalmology, otolaryngology, and others. These issues have made it difficult for any single center to recruit large numbers of subjects with specific types of dystonia for research studies in a timely manner. The Dystonia Coalition is a consortium of investigators that was established to address these challenges. Since 2009, the Dystonia Coalition has encouraged collaboration by engaging 56 sites across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Its emphasis on collaboration has facilitated establishment of international consensus for the definition and classification of all dystonias, diagnostic criteria for specific subtypes of dystonia, standardized evaluation strategies, development of clinimetrically sound measurement tools, and large multicenter studies that document the phenotypic heterogeneity and evolution of specific types of dystonia.