# Physiologic Correlates of Vocal Tremor affecting those with Essential Tremor

> **NIH NIH R01** · UTAH STATE HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM--UNIVERSITY OF UTAH · 2020 · $606,566

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT
Essential tremor is one of the most common movement disorders in the world affecting approximately 4.6% of
those 65 years of age or older and approximately 2.2% of the US population, or 7 million people. Approximately
30% of these individuals exhibit a vocal tremor due to essential tremor (ET), or Essential Vocal Tremor (EVT),
with the majority being female. EVT significantly impacts quality of life and does not consistently or
significantly benefit from medications or medical management approaches that are currently used to treat limb
tremor. The differing response to current medical treatments between those with EVT and those with ET
without vocal tremor (EVT0) highlights the need for determining differing characteristics between those with
EVT compared to EVT0. Individuals with EVT report increased effort during speaking and worsening of their
vocal tremor during stressful activities that promote anxiety or require more concentration and effort. To date,
EVT has been characterized primarily by acoustic measures of voice modulation resulting in limited
understanding regarding speech structure contributions to the onset and progression of this disorder. This is in
contrast to longstanding diagnostic characteristics of tremor rate and extent described in the literature for
tremor affecting the arms, hands, head, or legs that can be used to distinguish between neurologic etiologies.
Insight into the physiologic underpinnings of speech structures affected by tremor and their links to impaired
speech production would enable insights regarding optimal clinical approaches for evaluating and managing
vocal tremor. Further, determining salient physiologic characteristics associated with vocal tremor could
potentially lead to clinical evaluation approaches that enable identification of the different neurogenic causes of
vocal tremor (e.g. basal ganglia, cerebellar, extrapyramidal pathways). The goal of this project is to
systematically evaluate and model the contribution of tremor affecting the respiratory, laryngeal, and
articulatory structures to vocal tremor acoustic patterns. Outcomes of this research will significantly advance
our scientific knowledge regarding the physiologic underpinnings of EVT and its correspondence to impaired
communication function. Further, outcomes will advance current clinical evaluation and treatment methods
and enable future investigation of unique physiologic characteristics across other etiologies of vocal tremor
(e.g. Parkinson Disease, Dystonia) that will advance current and future treatment approaches.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9869882
- **Project number:** 5R01DC016838-02
- **Recipient organization:** UTAH STATE HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM--UNIVERSITY OF UTAH
- **Principal Investigator:** Julie M Barkmeier-Kraemer
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $606,566
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-02-12 → 2024-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9869882

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9869882, Physiologic Correlates of Vocal Tremor affecting those with Essential Tremor (5R01DC016838-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9869882. Licensed CC0.

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