One line of investigation involves the study of individuals with quadriplegia who must rely on an externally controlled respiratory apparatus to produce speech. Another area of study is devoted to determining the efficacy of specific biomechanical and pharmacological treatments for the speech of individuals with neuromotor disorders such as spinal cord injury and spasmodic dysphonia. The techniques used in Dr. Hoit's laboratory generally are non invasive, unencumbering, and comfortable. This helps to ensure that speech-related observations are as natural as can be expected under experimental conditions. Examples of the types of instrumentation used include magnetometry for making kinematic observations of the chest wall, surface electromyography for recording electrical activity of easily accessible muscles of the speech mechanism, aeromechanical instrumentation for recording airway pressures and flows, and videoendoscopy for obtaining images of internal speech structures such as the velopharynx and larynx.
Simple adjustments can improve ventilator-supported speech.
Competition between gas exchange and speech production in ventilated patients.