Neurocomputational analysis of impaired auditory-motor function for laryngeal motor control

Recent research indicates that impaired auditory-motor function may be a significant etiological factor in the development of hyperfunctional voice disorders (VH). To investigate this hypothesis, our group has introduced Laryngeal DIVA (LaDIVA), a neurocomputational framework that currently integrates a triangular body-cover vocal fold model within the physiologically validated DIVA model of speech motor control. LaDIVA is being used to investigate laryngeal motor control in terms of pitch regulation, responses to environmental noise, and voice quality. In this study, we examined the adaptation dynamics of speaking in noise among 20 participants with typical voices and 20 with VH. Participants were instructed to utter a series of syllables under three conditions: baseline (quiet environment), Lombard (speech noise at 80 dB SPL), and recovery (quiet environment after five minutes of rest). The results revealed that participants with VH did not return to baseline after speaking under masking noise. Our model analysis indicates that participants with VH rely more heavily on auditory feedback to update the feedforward process when speaking in noise compared to those with typical voices. This increased reliance suggests that individuals with VH require more time to adapt to changes in auditory environments, which may contribute to the development of VH.