Acoustic Investigation of Vocal Quality following Treatment for Childhood Cerebellar Tumour

Abstract

The aim of the study was firstly to document the acoustic parameters of voice using the Multidimensional Voice Program (MDVP, Kay Elemetrics) in a group of children with dysarthria subsequent to treatment for cerebellar tumour (CT). Then, secondly, compare the acoustic findings to perceptual voice characteristics as described by the GIRBAS (grade, instability, roughness, breathiness, asthenicity, strain). The assessments were performed on 29 voice samples; 9 cerebellar tumour participants with dysarthria, and 20 control participants. None of the control voices were rated as exhibiting any of the six parameters described by the GIRBAS, while 7 of the CT participants were noted to have at least a mild voice disorder. Roughness, instability, breathiness and asthenicity were all identified as voice characteristics in the CT voice samples. Acoustically, the CT voice samples differed significantly from the controls’ voices on frequency and amplitude perturbation measures. Our findings confirmed voice dysfunction as a component of dysarthria in children treated for cerebellar tumour, and discussed the links between acoustic and perceptual descriptions.

Voice disorders in children with classic galactosemia

“…The control children typically had one or two elevated voice parameters while the children with galactosemia and disturbed vocal quality typically had multiple elevated parameters. Unlike the control children, the children with galactosemia and disturbed vocal quality had voice profiles that were typical of ataxic dysarthria present in children with cerebellar tumors and adults with cerebellar lesions (Cornwell et al 2004; Kent et al 2000). Perceptually, ataxic voice disorders are characterized by roughness, instability, breathiness, weakness, and abrupt voice onsets, which were evident in some children with galactosemia.…”

“…Although MDVP results differed by voice parameter across individuals, group patterns emerged to characterize laryngeal insufficiency in GAL and GAL-MSD as compared to the control children. Table 3 lists the nine MDVP voice parameters associated with different types of dysarthria, including ataxic dysarthria in adults (Kent et al 2000) and children (Cornwell et al 2004) and Parkinson’s disease and vocal polyps in adults (Shao et al 2010) and shows which voice parameters differed across GAL or GAL-MSD groups as compared to the controls. The largest and most frequent vocal abnormalities were variations in parameters measuring fundamental frequency (Fo; the lowest frequency produced by the vocal folds) and amplitude (volume), which are indicative of neurogenic laryngeal instability and perceptually rough and breathy voices.…”

“…Specific clusters of abnormal voice parameters, rather than abnormal values on individual voice parameters, are informative when diagnosing the presence of and type of dysarthria using the MDVP program. Elevated frequency parameters are associated with rough voices and laryngeal instability (Cornwell et al 2004). Elevated amplitude parameters are associated with breathy voices.…”

“…The inter-judge reliability of vocal quality has traditionally been poor because perceptual judgments of an individual’s voice require listeners to simultaneously attend to and judge multiple aspects including pitch, loudness, instability, and tremor (Cornwell et al 2004). The Multi-Dimensional Voice Program ™ (MDVP; Kay Elemetrics 2003) is a computer software program that objectively measures more than 30 different voice parameters.…”

Acoustic analysis of voice in dysarthria following stroke

“…In their classic study of dysarthria, Darley et al (1969a, b) concluded that the spastic form of dysarthria associated with stroke presents as a quadripartite cluster of deviant perceptual dimensions: (1) prosodic excess (excess and equal stress, slow rate), (2) articulatory-resonatory incompetence (imprecise consonants, distorted vowels, hypernasality), (3) prosodic insufficiency (monopitch, monoloudness, reduced stress, short phrases), and (4) phonatory stenosis (low pitch, harshness, strained-strangled voice, pitch breaks, short phrases, slow rate). Many of the Kellie, 2004;Verdonck-de Leeuw and Mahieu, 2004). From among these studies, Deliyski and Gress (1998) provide MDVP data for healthy young male and female English speakers, while Xue and Deliyski (2001) provide comparable data for health elderly men and women speakers.…”