Vocal fold vibration mode changes due to cricothyroid and thyroarytenoid muscle interaction in a three-dimensional model of the canine larynx.

Using a continuum model based on magnetic resonance imaging of a canine larynx, parametric simulations of the vocal fold vibration during phonation were conducted with the cricothyroid muscle (CT) and the thyroarytenoid muscle (TA) independently activated from zero to full activation. The fundamental frequency (f) first increased and then experienced a downward jump as TA activity gradually increased under moderate to high CT activation. Proper orthogonal decomposition analysis revealed that the vocal fold vibrations were dominated by two modes representing a lateral motion and rotational motion, respectively, and the f drop was associated with a switch on the order of the two modes. In another parametric set where only the vocalis was active, f increased monotonically with both TA and CT activity and the mode switch did not occur. The results suggested that the active stress in the TA, which causes large stress differences between the body and cover, is essential for the occurrence of the rotational mode and mode switch. Relatively greater TA activity tends to promote the rotational mode, while relatively greater CT activity tends to promote the lateral mode. The results also suggested that the vibration modes affected f by affecting the contribution of the TA stress to the effective stiffness. The switch in the dominant mode caused the non-monotonic change of f.