Study of Deep Brain Stimulation Effects on Voice Disorders in Adults with Laryngeal Dystonia and Essential Tremor

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are studying neurological voice disorders, such as laryngeal dystonia and voice tremor, in patients with movement disorders like dystonia and essential tremor who are undergoing deep brain stimulation DBS. The study aims to determine how often these voice disorders occur, explore brain activity and imaging related to voice problems, and evaluate the effects of DBS on voice function. This research focuses on improving understanding of voice control in the brains motor networks during DBS treatment. The study involves patients diagnosed with dystonia or tremor who are recommended for DBS surgery. During the DBS implantation, simultaneous electrocorticography ECoG and subcortical brain activity recordings will be collected while patients are awake and speaking. This approach allows researchers to study brain signals related to voice production during the surgical procedure. The DBS treatment itself is clinically indicated for managing dystonia or tremor. Participants will be evaluated over five years for correlations between brain signals and voice and speech performance during surgery. Clinical outcomes for dystonia and tremor will also be monitored over this period. The study requires participants to complete pre-operative training and tests, and their voice function will be assessed during the surgical and follow-up phases. This research will help develop new brain stimulation strategies to address neurological voice dysfunction.

Deep Brain Stimulation in Laryngeal Dystonia and Voice Tremor