Biomedical subjects

Christine Sapienza

Publications and source records attributed to Christine Sapienza.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Effects of vocal training on respiratory kinematics during singing tasks.

This longitudinal study determined the effects of vocal training (VT) on respiratory kinematics and muscle activity during singing tasks. Four voice students, 3 females and 1 male, were recorded during singing tasks once a semester for 3 consecutive semesters. Respiratory kinematic measures included lung volume, rib cage (RCE) and abdominal excursions (ABE). Surface electromyographic measures included burst duration (BD) and peak amplitude (PA) of the pectoralis major, rectus abdominis and external oblique muscles. Descriptive statistics revealed that RCE and ABE increased from the 1st to the 2nd semester, but decreased from the 2nd to the 3rd semester of VT. Overall, mean BD decreased from the 1st to the 2nd semester and increased from the 2nd to the 3rd semester. Mean PA increased from the 1st to the 2nd semester and decreased from the 2nd to the 3rd semester of VT. RCE and muscle force generation of the above muscles increased as the demand level and the length of the phonatory tasks increased. Interpretation of the results suggests that the respiratory system is highly responsive to VT, after only 3 semesters of training.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Voice handicap index results for older patients with adductor spasmodic dysphonia.

Adductor spasmodic dysphonia (ADSD) adversely affects a speaker's ability to effectively communicate. For many individuals suffering with ADSD, botulinum toxin (Botox) is the chosen treatment to remediate the symptoms. Although Botox's effects on symptom remediation have been examined before, patient perception of improvement post-Botox has been examined less frequently. Further, no studies have addressed the symptomatic changes in older adults that occur after Botox treatment. The Voice Handicap Index (VHI) was used as the instrument to assess older patient's (>65 years) perception of how ADSD impacts certain areas of their life pre- and post-Botox injection. The outcome of the VHI was related to a clinical judgment of voice severity. Participants also completed the Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS) to examine overall stress level, and the outcome of the SRRS was correlated to postinjection VHI scores. Results indicated no significant correlation between VHI scores and voice severity or SRRS ratings. The current study suggests further study of voice outcomes with older adults with ADSD is needed.

Aged↗

PubMed2005

Examination of strength training and detraining effects in expiratory muscles.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine strength gains following expiratory muscle strength training (EMST) and to determine detraining effects when the training stimulus is removed. METHOD: Thirty-two healthy participants were enrolled in an EMST program. Sixteen participants trained for 4 weeks (Group 1) and 16 participants trained for 8 weeks (Group 2). All 32 participants were detrained for 8 weeks. Maximum expiratory pressure (MEP) was used to document change in expiratory muscle strength throughout the study. RESULTS: Group 1 had a 41% increase and Group 2 had a 51% increase in MEP following the training. Mean MEP, for both groups, was significantly greater than baseline at the end of the training period (p = .0001), at the 4th week of detraining (p = .0001), and at the 8th week of detraining (p = .0001). The results also indicated that there was no significant difference in mean MEP between the groups at baseline, end of training, or throughout the detraining period (p = .960). DISCUSSION: The results suggest that expiratory muscle strength gains following a 4- and 8-week EMST program do not differ significantly. Additionally, detraining rates do not appear to be dependent on length of training time.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Aphasia and thalamotomy: important issues.

Patients may present with classical symptoms suggesting aphasia following thalamotomy (repetition, comprehension, fluency and naming abnormalities). They may also present with 'freezing of speech', and this symptom should not be considered as a speech disorder or a symptom of Parkinson's disease progression, without careful testing to rule out language deficits, particularly dysfluency. There are important issues related to all language complications of thalamotomy, including (1) the time course of problems following surgery, (2) the impact of preexistingspeech problems, (3) the importance of the size and location of lesions, (4) the potential circuits important in the pathogenesis of a thalamic language disturbance and (5) whether laterality makes a difference (left- versus right-sided thalamic lesions). As more centers switch from thalamotomy to deep brain stimulation, the issues regarding aphasia will need to be addressed.

Aphasia↗

PubMed2004

Inspiratory muscle strength training with behavioral therapy in a case of a rower with presumed exercise-induced paradoxical vocal-fold dysfunction.

Paradoxical vocal fold dysfunction (PVFD) with high effort exercise can result in disruptions to ventilation, dyspnea, inspiratory stridor, elevated heart rate, and syncope. This single subject study experimentally tested an inspiratory muscle strength training (IMST) program with behavioral therapy on a 15-year-old male crew member. Outcome variables were maximum inspiratory pressure (MIP), and dyspnea ratings. Following 5 weeks of IMST, MIP increased by 93% from baseline function while dyspnea ratings substantially decreased. Outcome included successful competition with his high-school crew team, a task he was previously unable to complete. Discussion focuses on IMST combined with traditional approaches of voice therapy for treating PVFD.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Effects of singing training on the speaking voice of voice majors.

This longitudinal study gathered data with regard to the question: Does singing training have an effect on the speaking voice? Fourteen voice majors (12 females and two males; age range 17 to 20 years) were recorded once a semester for four consecutive semesters, while sustaining vowels and reading the "Rainbow Passage." Acoustic measures included speaking fundamental frequency (SFF) and sound pressure level (SLP). Perturbation measures included jitter, shimmer, and harmonic-to-noise ratio. Temporal measures included sentence, consonant, and diphthong durations. Results revealed that, as the number of semesters increased, the SFF increased while jitter and shimmer slightly decreased. Repeated measure analysis, however, indicated that none of the acoustic, temporal, or perturbation differences were statistically significant. These results confirm earlier cross-sectional studies that compared singers with nonsingers, in that singing training mostly affects the singing voice and rarely the speaking voice.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

Effects of vocal training on the acoustic parameters of the singing voice.

Vocal training (VT) has, in part, been associated with the distinctions in the physiological, acoustic, and perceptual parameters found in singers' voices versus the voices of nonsingers. This study provides information on the changes in the singing voice as a function of VT over time. Fourteen college voice majors (12 females and 2 males; age range, 17-20 years) were recorded while singing, once a semester, for four consecutive semesters. Acoustic measures included fundamental frequency (F0) and sound pressure level (SPL) of the 10% and 90% levels of the maximum phonational frequency range (MPFR), vibrato pulses per second, vibrato amplitude variation, and the presence of the singer's formant. Results indicated that VT had a significant effect on the MPFR. F0 and SPL of the 90% level of the MPFR and the 90-10% range increased significantly as VT progressed. However, no vibrato or singers' formant differences were detected as a function of training. This longitudinal study not only validates previous cross-sectional research, ie, that VT has a significant effect on the singing voice, but also it demonstrates that these effects can be acoustically detected by the fourth semester of college vocal training.

Acoustics↗