Vocal Cords News and Research

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The vocal cords, are composed of twin infoldings of mucous membrane stretched horizontally across the larynx. They vibrate, modulating the flow of air being expelled from the lungs during phonation.

New technology can automatically identify infants at risk of developing neuromotor diseases

A team of researchers led by Huanyu "Larry" Cheng, the James L. Henderson, Jr. Memorial Associate Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics (ESM) at Penn State, tested the use of wearable sensors paired with a "tiny" machine learning algorithm to automatically monitor and evaluate general movements in infants.

13 Apr 2024

Soft, stretchy throat patch empowers speech in people with voice disorders

People with voice disorders, including those with pathological vocal cord conditions or who are recovering from laryngeal cancer surgeries, can often find it difficult or impossible to speak. That may soon change.

15 Mar 2024

MIT researchers identify key brain circuit for vocalization control

MIT researchers have discovered a brain circuit that drives vocalization and ensures that you talk only when you breathe out, and stop talking when you breathe in.

7 Mar 2024

First case of COVID-caused vocal cord paralysis in teen reported by Mass Eye and Ear doctors

Physician-researchers from Mass Eye and Ear, a member of Mass General Brigham, report the first pediatric case of bilateral vocal cord paralysis after COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) infection.

19 Dec 2023

New contrastive learning method could improve voice pathology detection

Voice pathology refers to a problem arising from abnormal conditions, such as dysphonia, paralysis, cysts, and even cancer, that cause abnormal vibrations in the vocal cords (or vocal folds).

16 Oct 2023

Spinal neural circuit dysfunction mediates movement symptoms in dystonia

Many neurological conditions that involve involuntary muscle contractions have long been considered as diseases of the brain.

6 Jun 2023

First smart wearable device tracks how much people use their voices

Northwestern University researchers have developed the first smart wearable device to continuously track how much people use their voices, alerting them to overuse before vocal fatigue and potential injury set in.

22 Feb 2023

Special vascular cells sense when the brain region needs energy

When we smell hot dogs, it may trigger memories of backyard barbeques or attending baseball games during childhood.

26 Jan 2023

AI-driven voice analysis shows promise as a screening tool for Parkinson’s disease

The diagnosis of Parkinson's disease has shaken many lives. More than 10 million people worldwide are living with it.

24 Jan 2023

AI model detects COVID-19 infection in people’s voices

Artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to detect COVID-19 infection in people's voices by means of a mobile phone app, according to research to be presented on Monday at the European Respiratory Society International Congress in Barcelona, Spain.

5 Sep 2022

UCSF surgeons demonstrate the feasibility and efficacy of novel scarless Adam's apple surgery

Feminizing chondrolaryngoplasty, also known as "tracheal shave," improves the neck appearance of trans women by effectively reducing the prominence of the Adam's apple and is performed through an incision across the front of the neck.

4 May 2022

Study reveals factors responsible for increased risk of aerosol transmission for SARS-CoV-2 Delta and Omicron

A new study describes the expected distribution of viral emission of COVID-19 by an infected population of people who were either silent, speaking softly, or loudly, to determine factors influencing risks of viral transmission.

14 Jan 2022

McGill scientists develop a biomaterial to repair the heart, muscles, and vocal cords

Combining knowledge of chemistry, physics, biology, and engineering, scientists from McGill University develop a biomaterial tough enough to repair the heart, muscles, and vocal cords, representing a major advance in regenerative medicine.

30 Nov 2021

Study uncovers how force dynamics affect cells and living tissues

Researchers, led by Pere Roca-Cusachs at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) discover how force dynamics affect cells, and living tissues. The results give an insight into the critical mechanical processes that occur in different diseases such as cancer.

16 Jul 2021

Duetting songbirds 'silence' their partner’s brain to coordinate the duets

Art Garfunkel once described his legendary musical chemistry with Paul Simon, "We meet somewhere in the air through the vocal cords ... ."

31 May 2021

Researchers propose new deep learning-based model for cross-lingual voice conversion

Robots today have come a long way from their early inception as insentient beings meant primarily for mechanical assistance to humans. Today, they can assist us intellectually and even emotionally, getting ever better at mimicking conscious humans.

27 Apr 2021

Researchers provide comprehensive molecular characterization of head and neck cancers

In what is believed to be the most comprehensive molecular characterization to date of the most common type of head and neck cancer, researchers from the Johns Hopkins departments of pathology and oncology, the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and 18 other centers around the U.S. and Poland have clarified the contribution of key cancer-associated genes, proteins and signaling pathways in these cancers, while proposing possible new treatment avenues.

7 Jan 2021