Biomedical subjects

P Gramming

Publications and source records attributed to P Gramming.

11 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1997

Physiological aspects of a vocal exercise.

The physiological aim of vocal exercises is mostly understood in intuitive terms only. This article presents an attempt to document the phonatory behavior induced by a vocal exercise. An elevated vertical position of the larynx is frequently associated with hyperfunctional phonatory habits, presumably because it induces an exaggerated vocal fold adduction. Using the multichannel electroglottograph (MEGG), the laryngeal position was determined in a group of subjects who performed a voice exercise that contained extremely prolonged versions of the consonant/b:/. This exercise is used by the coauthor (N.E.) as part of a standard vocal exercise program. Two of the seven subjects were dysphonic phonastenic patients, and the rest were normal trained or untrained persons. Different attempts to calibrate the MEGG confirmed a linear relationship with larynx height, provided electrode positioning was correct. The results showed that the exercise induced substantial vertical displacements of the larynx. Comparison with larynx height during voicing of other consonants showed that the/b/, in particular, tended to lower the larynx.

Humans↗

PubMed1995

What happens during vocal warm-up?

Most singers prefer to warm up their voices before performing. Although the subjective effect is often considerable, the underlying physiological effects are largely unknown. Because warm-up tends to increase blood flow in muscles, it seems likely that vocal warm-up might induce decreased viscosity in the vocal folds. According to the theory of vocal-fold vibration, such a decrease should lead to a lower phonation threshold pressure. In this investigation the effect of vocal warm-up on the phonation threshold pressure was examined in a group of male and female singers. The effect varied considerably between subjects, presumably because the vocal-fold viscosity was not a dominating factor for the phonation-threshold pressure.

Adult↗

PubMed1994

Relations between voice range profiles and physiological and perceptual voice characteristics in ten-year-old children.

Pitch and intensity range of 60 children were recorded and plotted in voice range profiles (VRPs). Different aspects were investigated: minimum phonation threshold, pitch range, and maximum dynamic range. Vocal fold status was determined via laryngoscopic examination. Ten percent of the children had vocal nodules, 23% glottal chinks. Seven voice experts listened to the voices recorded on two separate occasions and rated their properties along 16 parameters including hoarseness. Fourteen percent were rated as hoarse on both recordings and were thus classified as being chronically hoarse. Departures from normal in VRP characteristics were found for children suffering from chronic hoarseness, nodules, and glottal chinks. Children in general seem to have somewhat compressed VRP contours compared with adults, reflecting restricted dynamic vocal capabilities; however, children with mutational voices exhibited an approximation to adult upper VRP contours.

Auditory Perception↗

PubMed1994

Average loudness level, mean fundamental frequency, and subglottal pressure: comparison between female singers and nonsingers.

Subglottal pressure, measured indirectly as the oral pressure during /p/ occlusion, was studied in 10 classically trained female singers and 10 female nonsingers, as they uttered the syllable /pa/ as softly and as loudly as possible over their entire voice ranges. There were no discernible differences between the subject groups for soft vowel phonation, but for the loudest vocalizations the singers used considerably higher subglottal pressures. Possible reasons for this difference are discussed.

Adult↗

PubMed1993

Comparisons of pharynx, source, formant, and pressure characteristics in operatic and musical theatre singing.

Belting, a vocal technique typically cultivated in musical theatre singing, differs timbrally from operatic singing in many interesting respects. The underlying phonatory differences have not been previously investigated in detail. Yet, belting is frequently associated with disturbances of voice function. Articulatory and phonatory characteristics are investigated in a female subject who is a professional singer (co-author JL) trained in both the operatic and belting styles and in an intermediate vocal technique ("mixed"). This article presents data obtained from this subject by video-fiberoptic observation of the pharynx, inverse filtering of airflow, and measurement of subglottal pressure. The results reveal that belting was characterized by very high subglottal pressures and sound levels, and apparently also by a comparatively high degree of glottal adduction. Comparisons with other investigations of related aspects of belting and operatic singing support the assumption that the data obtained from our subject are representative for these vocal techniques.

Female↗

PubMed1993

Short-term variation of subglottal pressure for expressive purposes in singing and stage speech: a preliminary investigation.

According to previous investigations, subglottal pressure in singing is adapted not only to loudness but also to fundamental frequency. Here the significance of musical expression to subglottal pressure is analyzed in terms of alternations between stressed and unstressed bar positions. Esophageal pressure was recorded together with the audio signal in a male and a female professional singer using a paranasally introduced pressure transducer while the subjects performed vocal exercises. Also, the subjects gave examples of actors' speech by reading poetry aloud. The results show that subglottal pressure can be used for stressing the first beat in bars and also for increasing the sound level in voiced consonants in actor's speech.

Air Pressure↗

PubMed1991

Variability of phonetograms.

Various sources of phonetogram variation were investigated, i.e. graphs showing voice sound pressure level (SPL) for a speaker's loudest and softest phonation at different fundamental frequencies. The short-term SPL variation within a vocalization was analyzed for 10 female and 10 male normal speakers and for 10 female patients with nonorganic dysphonia, i.e. patients with insufficient voices and no indication of pathology according to microlaryngostroboscopy. This variability was about 5 dB in soft phonation and less in loud phonation. The agreement between 2 investigators independently determining SPL for identical vocalizations by means of a sound-level meter was also studied and found to be quite good. The long-term variation was analyzed in 1 male and 1 female normal subject in 15 phonetogram recordings made on different days; the standard deviation averaged across fundamental frequency and subjects was found to be approximately 3 dB. The implications of these findings for a clinical use of phonetograms are discussed.

Adult↗

PubMed1988

Spectrum factors relevant to phonetogram measurement.

Phonetograms showing the sound-pressure level (SPL) in loudest and softest possible phonation are frequently used in some voice clinics as an aid for describing the status of voice function. Spectrum analysis of the vowel /a/ produced by ten females and ten males with healthy, untrained voices revealed that the fundamental was mostly the strongest spectrum partial in soft phonation while the loudest partial in loud phonation was generally an overtone. Also, the first-formant frequency was generally lower in soft than in loud phonation. Measuring SPL in dB(A) rather than in dB lowered the phonetogram contour for soft phonation, an effect increasing with decreasing fundamental frequency. SPL measurements on a group of 22 females with healthy voices showed that the vowel /a/ gave higher SPL values than other vowels in loud phonation. The effect of using dB rather the dB(A) was great but similar for all vowels in soft phonation while, in loud phonation, the effect was small, particularly for /a/. In dB, the effect of using different vowels amounts to about +/- 5 dB, approximately. Interpretation of a phonetogram in terms of voice physiology is facilitated if SPL is given in dB and if a vowel with a high first-formant frequency is used.

Adult↗

PubMed1985

Cranial nerve injuries associated with carotid endarterectomy. A prospective study.

To determine the incidence and nature of cranial nerve damage in connection with carotid artery surgery, 139 patients were studied before and after 162 operations. Nerve damage was detected in association with 19.8% of the operations. The hypoglossal nerve was most commonly affected. The injuries were of benign character and usually resolved within 4 to 6 weeks. Apart from damage to the great auricular nerve, all lesions resolved within 5 months. The incidence of nerve disturbance was greater than that found in a retrospective study from the same hospital. Gentleness of technique is important in carotid artery surgery, in order to avoid nerve damage.

Carotid Arteries↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Non-organic dysphonia. II. Phonetograms for normal and pathological voices.

The clinical usefulness of the phonetogram, i.e. a graph showing the sound pressure level (SPL) of softest and loudest possible phonation over the entire fundamental frequency range of a voice, was investigated. Phonetograms of 29 female non-organic dysphonic patients, 17 healthy female subjects, 18 non-organic dysphonic male patients and 12 healthy male subjects were compared. The female patients showed significantly lower SPL values for loudest phonation when compared with healthy female subjects, while no significant difference was seen in the male subjects in this regard. With respect to the SPL values for softest phonation, on the other hand, the male dysphonic patients showed significantly higher SPL values than the healthy male subjects, whereas no significant difference was seen in the female subjects. Spectrum analysis showed that the patients had a more dominating fundamental in loud phonation than did the healthy voices.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Non-organic dysphonia. II. A comparison of subglottal pressures in normal and pathological voices.

In previous investigations, typical phonetogram differences have been revealed between healthy and pathological voices: the average maximum and minimum sound pressure levels that a patient suffering from non-organic dysphonia can produce at different fundamental frequencies deviate significantly from the corresponding values for a healthy voice. The subglottal pressure, being the primary tool for regulating the sound pressure level of voice, was estimated from the oral pressure during the voiceless stop/p/in 10 female and 10 male subjects with normal voices and in 10 female and 10 male non-organic dysphonic patients. In loud phonation, the female patients had significantly lower values than the female healthy subjects, while no corresponding significant difference was seen between the male subjects. In soft phonation, the male patients had significantly higher values than the normal healthy subjects, while the females showed no significant difference.

Humans↗