Audiovocal Integration

When we speak and sing, our voice is controlled in many different ways. Volitional and automatic control systems act upon respiratory, laryngeal, and articulatory structures to produce and shape the sounds we hear as phonation. Some aspects of the voice are controlled in a predictive, feed-forward manner. Others involve sensory feedback loops that make sure we've produced the vocal sounds we intended to produce. Auditory feedback is of particular importance in this regard. These different manners of control work in conjunction with one another to help us adapt to new physical conditions as they arise yet still maintain accuracy during very rapid vocal manipulations.

Burnett TA, Hindemarsh E, McCurdy KE (in preparation). Effect of duration of reflexive and volitional voice fundamental frequency (F0) responses to an anticipated feedback pitch error.

Burnett TA (in preparation). Overt pitch discrimination and automatic voice fundamental frequency (F0) control.

Burnett TA, McCurdy KE, Bright J (under revision). Reflexive and volitional voice fundamental frequency (F0) responses to an anticipated feedback pitch error. Exp Brain Research.

Burnett TA, Larson CR (2002).Early pitch-shift response is active in both steady and dynamic voice pitch control. J Acoust Soc Am. 112 (3 Pt 1):1058-63.

Hain TC, Burnett TA. Larson CR, Kiran S (2001). Effects of delayed auditory feedback (DAF) on the pitch-shift reflex. J Acoust Soc Am. 109(5 Pt 1):2146-52.

Larson CR, Burnett TA, Bauer JJ, Kiran S, Hain TC (2001). Comparison of voice F0 responses to pitch-shift onset and offset conditions. J Acoust Soc Am. 110(6):2845-8.

Larson CR, Burnett TA, Kiran S, Hain TC (2000). Effects of pitch-shift velocity on voice F0 responses. J Acoust Soc Am. 107(1):559-64.

Hain TC, Burnett TA, Kiran S, Larson CR, Singh S, Kenney MK (2000). Instructing subjects to make a voluntary response reveals the presence of two components to the audio-vocal reflex. Exp Brain Research, 130(2): 133-141.

Burnett TA, Freedland MB, Larson CR, Hain TC (1998). Voice F0 responses to manipulations in pitch feedback. J Acoust Soc Am. 103 (6):3153-61.

Burnett TA, Senner JE, Larson CR. (1997). Voice F0 responses to pitch-shifted auditory feedback: a preliminary study. J Voice, 11(2):202-11.

Central Integration of Voice and Sound

The systems of the brain that enable humans to precisely control the voice are not yet fully understood. The aim of this research is to better understand how the central nervous system controls the voice, especially with regard to hearing.

Burnett TA, Nagao K, Bargatze D (in preparation). Continuous vs. sparse scanning paradigms for imaging vocalization-related BOLD activity.

Feasibility of Neuromuscular Stimulation for Laryngeal Elevation During Swallowing

As a Postdoctoral Fellow at the NIH, I investigated the use of neuromuscular stimulation to augment hyolaryngeal elevation and hyoid anterior motion during the pharyngeal phase of swallowing. These studies featured the use of hooked-wire electrodes placed intramuscularly into the physiologically-verified locations of mylohyoid, geniohyoid, or thyrohyoid muscles. The aims of these studies were to determine whether or not applying NM stimulation could alter hyoid or larynx position at rest, or affect hyolaryngeal motion during swallowing. Subsequent investigations are currently being conducted at the NIH to test the hypothesis that strategically-placed NM stimulation can be applied functionally to augment airway protection in individuals with chronic dysphagia due to inadequate hyolaryngeal motion.

Burnett TA, Mann EA, Bielamowicz S, Saxon K, Menyuk L, Ludlow CL (in preparation). Effects of mylohyloid, thyrohyoid, and geniophyoid neuromuscular stimulation on hyolaryngeal kinematics and upper esophageal sphincter pressure.

Burnett, TA, Mann, EA, Stoklosa, JB, Ludlow, CL (2005). Self-triggered functional electrical stimulation during swallowing. J Neurophysiology 94: 4011-8

Burnett TA, Mann EA, Cornell SA, Ludlow CL. (2003). Laryngeal elevation achieved by neuromuscular stimulation at rest. J Appl Physiol. 94(1):128-34.

Mann EA, Burnett T, Cornell S, Ludlow CL. (2002). The effect of neuromuscular stimulation of the genioglossus on the hypopharyngeal airway. Laryngoscope, 112(2):351-6.