# Understanding disorder-specific neural pathophysiology in laryngeal dystonia and voice tremor

> **NIH NIH P50** · MASSACHUSETTS EYE AND EAR INFIRMARY · 2022 · $743,006

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT
 Laryngeal dysphonia (LD) and Voice Tremor (VT) are neurological voice disorders that impair speech
production. The characteristic feature of LD (i.e., occurring during speaking but not laughing or crying) and the
lack of physical laryngeal abnormalities suggests that LD is likely a disorder affecting the task-specific control
of phonation by the central nervous system (CNS). Similarly, VT is often observed without any clear peripheral
laryngeal etiology, also suggesting a central origin but distinct from that affected in LD. The overall goal of
this project is to characterize the common and distinct features of CNS pathophysiology in the
neurological voice disorders, LD and VT. The act of speech is a dynamic process, including initial glottal
movement, voice onset, and compensatory responses to sensory feedback fluctuations during sustained
phonation. Identifying specific functional impairments in LD and VT requires a clear understanding of when in
the process of phonation, as well as where in the CNS, aberrant activity occurs. Due to their poor temporal
resolution, prior neuroimaging studies have not been able to address the question of when abnormal CNS
activation occurs relative to specific phonation events. As a result, critical clues about the underlying etiologies
in these disorders have likely been missed. Here, we propose a multimodal brain imaging assessment of CNS
abnormalities associated with LD and VT. The specific aims are to examine: 1) Spatial and temporal CNS
pathophysiology during speech and other vocal tasks; 2) Sensorimotor modulations on CNS pathophysiology;
and 3) Motor learning and CNS pathophysiology. Future treatments for LD and VT can be developed by
targeting CNS pathophysiological mechanisms identified in this project. For example, this project will help
identify neural targets that have a therapeutic potential based on disorder-specific pathophysiology for both
invasive and non-invasive brain stimulation.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10488253
- **Project number:** 5P50DC019900-02
- **Recipient organization:** MASSACHUSETTS EYE AND EAR INFIRMARY
- **Principal Investigator:** Kristina Simonyan
- **Activity code:** P50 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $743,006
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-09-15 → 2026-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10488253

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10488253, Understanding disorder-specific neural pathophysiology in laryngeal dystonia and voice tremor (5P50DC019900-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10488253. Licensed CC0.

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