Relative Fundamental Frequency in Individuals with Globus Syndrome and Muscle Tension Dysphagia.

Objective: Relative fundamental frequency (RFF) has been investigated as an acoustic measure to assess for changes in laryngeal tension. This study aimed to assess RFF in individuals with globus syndrome, individuals with muscle tension dysphagia (MTDg), and individuals with typical voices.

Methods: RFF values were calculated from the speech acoustics of individuals with globus syndrome (n = 12), individuals with MTDg (n = 12), and age- and sex-matched controls with typical voices (n = 24). An analysis of variance was performed on RFF values to assess the effect of group.

Results: There was no statistically significant effect of group on RFF values, with similar values for individuals with globus syndrome, individuals with MTDg, and control participants.

Conclusions: These results suggest that individuals with these disorders do not appear to possess paralaryngeal muscle tension in a locus and/or manner that directly impacts voice production.