Clinical trial NCT06544122: Effect of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on the Voice
Official title: Effect of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on the Voice
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Voice and Resonance Disorders
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation
Voice Disturbance
Keywords: transcranial direct current stimulation
voice
speech therapy
Lead sponsor: Universidade Federal de Pernambuco
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2024-08-09
Enrollment: 16
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Maximum age (years): 45
Standard ages: ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: CROSSOVER
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: The goal of this clinical trial is to verify the effect on the voice of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in vocally healthy non-singers. The main question it aims to answer is: What is the brain area in which tDCS promotes better vocal performance in vocally healthy individuals? Each participants received anodal tDCS applied at an intensity of 2 mA for a duration of 20 minutes for tDCS stimulations in different areas with a 7-day washout period between stimulations. Vocal assessments was conducted before and after the intervention. The targeted places were the primary motor cortex (M1), primary somatosensory cortex (S1), Cerebellum, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC).

Detailed description: Recently, non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) techniques , including transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), have been employed to enhance vocal skills. tDCS can be used to temporarily and reversibly modulate brain functions and is an increasingly popular tool for investigating the relationships between the brain and behavior . The aim of the present study is investigate the effect of tDCS applied to different areas on the voice of vocally healthy non-singers. This is a randomized crossover clinical trial, approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Federal University of Pernambuco, number 5,758,856. Vocally healthy people from the city of Recife and its Metropolitan Region, aged between 18 and 45 years, participated in the study.Each participant underwent four tDCS stimulations in different areas with a 7-day washout period between stimulations to study their vocal assessments before and after tDCS. The targeted places were the primary motor cortex (M1), primary somatosensory cortex (S1), Cerebellum, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). All participants were subjected to voice acessments analysis immediately before and after tDCS application in each area. Data normality will be analyzed using the Shapiro-Wilk test, rejecting the hypothesis of normal distribution when p\<0.05. ANOVA will be applied to design repeated measures in case of normality and in the existence of asymmetric data, Friedmann's ANOVA will be used for repeated measures. For the comparison of values before and after application of the technique and between modes of execution of the technique (with and without non-invasive neuromodulation), tests will be applied for related and independent samples, respectively, with a significance level of 5%

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Non-singers with healthy voice

Exclusion Criteria:

* Smokers
* Those who present signs and symptoms of laryngeal, pharyngeal or respiratory diseases at the time of collection
* Volunteers who make regular use of neuroactive drugs
* Those who have metallic implants or a pacemaker
* People that have any history of seizures or epilepsy

Primary outcomes:
measure: Vocal range profile
timeFrame: through study completion, an average of 6 months
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Voice
timeFrame: through study completion, an average of 6 months
measure: Laryngeal diadochokinesis
timeFrame: through study completion, an average of 6 months
measure: Vocal effort
timeFrame: through study completion, an average of 6 months
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Recife
country: Brazil
facility: Laboratório de Neurociência Aplicada
state: Pernambuco
Study officials:
affiliation: UFPE
name: kelly Greyce SC Oliveira, PhD student
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Behroozmand R, Johari K, Bridwell K, Hayden C, Fahey D, den Ouden DB. Modulation of vocal pitch control through high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation of the left ventral motor cortex. Exp Brain Res. 2020 Jun;238(6):1525-1535. doi: 10.1007/s00221-020-05832-9. Epub 2020 May 23.
citation: Peng D, Lin Q, Chang Y, Jones JA, Jia G, Chen X, Liu P, Liu H. A Causal Role of the Cerebellum in Auditory Feedback Control of Vocal Production. Cerebellum. 2021 Aug;20(4):584-595. doi: 10.1007/s12311-021-01230-1. Epub 2021 Feb 8.
citation: Thair H, Holloway AL, Newport R, Smith AD. Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS): A Beginner's Guide for Design and Implementation. Front Neurosci. 2017 Nov 22;11:641. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2017.00641. eCollection 2017.
citation: Wang B, Xiao S, Yu C, Zhou J, Fu W. Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Combined With Physical Training on the Excitability of the Motor Cortex, Physical Performance, and Motor Learning: A Systematic Review. Front Neurosci. 2021 Apr 9;15:648354. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2021.648354. eCollection 2021.
citation: Perikova E, Blagovechtchenski E, Filippova M, Shcherbakova O, Kirsanov A, Shtyrov Y. Anodal tDCS over Broca's area improves fast mapping and explicit encoding of novel vocabulary. Neuropsychologia. 2022 Apr 15;168:108156. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2022.108156. Epub 2022 Jan 10.
citation: Cardoso NSV, Lucena JA, de Lira ZS, de Vasconcelos SJ, Lopes LW, Gomes AOC. Do Flexible Silicone Tubes Immersed in Water Combined With Vocalise Improve the Immediate Effect on Voice? J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2021 Dec 13;64(12):4535-4562. doi: 10.1044/2021_JSLHR-20-00629. Epub 2021 Nov 11.