Christopher Dromey Lorraine O. Ramig
Recording and Res. Ctr., 1245 Champa St., Denver, CO 80204, and CDSS Dept., Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, CO
Ronald Scherer
Recording and Res. Ctr., Denver, CO
A 50-year-old patient with Parkinson's disease received a 4-week course of intensive voice and respiratory therapy aimed at improving functional communication through increased laryngeal adduction. Aerodynamic and acoustic data were gathered on two occasions before treatment, two after the completion of therapy, and at 6- and 12-month follow-up sessions. There were increases in subglottal pressure and laryngeal airway resistance after the treatment. Maximum flow declination rate (MFDR) also increased, as did the sound pressure level of utterances that the subject produced at a ``comfortable'' effort level. Fundamental frequency variability and conversational intensity levels were higher post therapy. Video-stroboscopic examination before and after treatment showed improvements in adduction and a decreased level of supraglottic hyperfunction. Possible physiological mechanisms are discussed to account for these changes. [Work supported by NIH Grant No. R01 DC01150-03 and NIDCD Grant No. DC00976.]