Brain and Voice Signatures in Teachers

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.

Recruitment Status

RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

100 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2023-08-01

Study Completion Date

2026-07-31

Brief Summary

Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.

Primary muscle tension dysphonia voice disorder with symptoms of vocal strain and vocal fatigue is common and can have a significant negative impact on quality of Life. Yet, primary muscle tension dysphonia's causes are unknown precluding precise diagnostic classification. Stress and personality are thought to play a role and thus, the project aims to determine the practical and clinical effect of stress on the control of voice and speech in the brain. Participants are female early career teachers and student teachers with symptoms of vocal fatigue, as well as control participants without vocal fatigue, who perform speech tasks on two different occasions. Neural (imaging of brain), psychobiological (saliva, personality), and voice and speech (muscle activity of voice muscles on the neck with surface sensors, audio recordings) data will compare reactivity patterns of teachers who are stressresponders with those who are nonresponders as well as control participants. The central hypothesis is that voice box stress responders have heightened emotion-motor activations involving the emotional voice production pathway, which correlate with changes in voice muscle activity in the anterior neck. The results will provide fundamentally missing data in our understanding of the role of stress in vocal complaints and will yield new insights about the neural underpinnings of primary muscle tension dysphonia. The study findings will have a significant impact on how clinicians identify so-called laryngoresponders to help them prevent voice disorders.

Related Clinical Trials

Explore similar clinical trials based on study characteristics and research focus.

The Relationship Between Psychological Factors and Bell's Palsy

NCT01377766

Bell's Palsy

UNKNOWN

Laryngeal and Vocal Tract Strategies to Reduce Vocal Fold Contact Pressure

NCT06165536

Mid-membranous Vocal Fold Lesion

RECRUITING NA

Infant Crying, a Bioacoustic Prognostic Signal for Neurodevelopment

NCT06332521

Newborn; Vitality Premature Infants Infant Development

RECRUITING

Characteristics of Idiopathic Familial Voice Disorders

NCT00001552

Laryngeal Disease Spastic Dysphonia Voice Disorder

COMPLETED

Recorded Maternal Voice on the Emergence of General Anesthesia on Pediatric Patients

NCT02955680

Anesthesia, General

COMPLETED NA

Detailed Description

Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.

Conditions

See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.

Voice Disorders Voice Fatigue

Study Design

Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.

Allocation Method

NON_RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

Review each arm or cohort in the study, along with the interventions and objectives associated with them.

Teachers/student teachers with vocal fatigue

Teachers/student teachers with vocal fatigue based on Vocal Fatigue Index (VFI, German). Pre-Screening and Screening. Experiment 1: MRI with MRI-compatible surface electrodes on the neck and audio recordings during MRI with and without stress induction. Prior to MRI, questionnaires on voice, personality, and stress and practice oft the tasks. During experiment, collection of saliva samples (before, during, and after MRI). During MRI, multiple subjective ratings of emotional state by the participants. Experiment 2 (approximately 2 weeks later): Speech tasks with surface electromyographic sensors applied to the neck with concurrent audio recordings. Prior to the experiment questionnaires on voice and practice of tasks. Subjective ratings of vocal and cognitive effort during the experiment by the participants.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Stress induction

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Induction of anticipatory stress to compare voice and speech control and production with and without exposure to stress.

Control group

Control participants without vocal fatigue based on Vocal Fatigue Index (VFI, German). Same experimental procedures as in arm 1.

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Stress induction

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Induction of anticipatory stress to compare voice and speech control and production with and without exposure to stress.

Interventions

Learn about the drugs, procedures, or behavioral strategies being tested and how they are applied within this trial.

Stress induction

Induction of anticipatory stress to compare voice and speech control and production with and without exposure to stress.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.

Inclusion Criteria

Teachers (max. 10 years full-time) or student teachers in good health between 21 and 39 years with symptoms of vocal fatigue.

Control participants in good health between 21 and 39 years without symptoms of vocal fatigue.

Exclusion Criteria

* Lefthandedness
* Smoking (past 5 years)
* Known changes of the vocal folds (e.g., vocal fold nodules), vocal fold paralysis, surgeries on the larynx or thryoid or current organic or neurological changes of the vocal folds or vocal function per videoendoscopy and -stroboscopy of the larynx
* History of voice therapy
* Hoarseness
* Respiratory illness, allergies (respiratory, silver), reflux or asthma at time of participation
* Hearing disorder or hearing aids
* Psychological, neurological or endocrinological disorders
* Psychotropic or steorid medications
* Body mass index \> 30
* Indications against MRI such as metail parts in or on the body (e.g., permanent dental prostheses or braces, screws, prostheses, piercings or large tattoos
* Nearsightedness \> -5 diopters, if only glasses are worn
* Claustrophobia
* Pregnancy

Minimum Eligible Age

21 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

39 Years

Eligible Sex

FEMALE

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes