Acoustic Voice Analysis during Phonation Onset, Measured from High-Speed Videoendoscopy in Connected Speech

Abstract

Adductor spasmodic dysphonia (AdSD) is a neurological voice disorder, which affects the control of intrinsic muscles of the larynx during speech. Our previous research has shown that high-speed videoendoscopy (HSV) can be used to measure the glottal attack time for patients with AdSD during connected speech. This study builds upon that to analyze the acoustic signal during the phonation onset and prephonatory adjustments. The phonation onset events are quantified using the HSV data that were obtained simultaneously with the acoustic data. We analyze the power and energy waveform of the acoustic signal during vocal folds’ first contact, first oscillation, and transitory behaviors, extracted from high-temporal resolution HSV data. The data were obtained from five patients with AdSD and five vocally normal participants. The data were recorded while the participant produced: 2 productions of vowel /i/ at habitual pitch and loudness, 2 with a soft glottal attack and 2 with a hard glottal attack, six CAPE-V sentences, and the “Rainbow Passage.” The HSV system included a monochrome high-speed camera coupled with a flexible nasolaryngoscope. The results of this study could assist for more accurate clinical management of adductor spasmodic dysphonia.