Laryngeal and Global Somatosensation in Primary Muscle Tension Dysphonia.

Introduction: Primary muscle tension dysphonia (pMTD) is a functional voice disorder that reduces communicative abilities and adversely impacts occupational productivity and quality of life. Patients with pMTD report increased vocal effort, fatigue, discomfort, and odynophonia. Although laryngeal and paralaryngeal muscle tension and hyperfunction are the most commonly proposed mechanisms underlying these symptoms, recent studies suggest pMTD may have more to do with the somatosensory system.

Behavioral paradigm for the evaluation of stimulation-evoked somatosensory perception thresholds in rats.

Intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) of the somatosensory cortex via penetrating microelectrode arrays (MEAs) can evoke cutaneous and proprioceptive sensations for restoration of perception in individuals with spinal cord injuries. However, ICMS current amplitudes needed to evoke these sensory percepts tend to change over time following implantation. Animal models have been used to investigate the mechanisms by which these changes occur and aid in the development of new engineering strategies to mitigate such changes.

Behavioral Paradigm for the Evaluation of Stimulation-Evoked Somatosensory Perception Thresholds in Rats.

Intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) of the somatosensory cortex via penetrating microelectrode arrays (MEAs) can evoke cutaneous and proprioceptive sensations for restoration of perception in individuals with spinal cord injuries. However, ICMS current amplitudes needed to evoke these sensory percepts tend to change over time following implantation. Animal models have been used to investigate the mechanisms by which these changes occur and aid in the development of new engineering strategies to mitigate such changes.