Sharyl Samargia
Professor, University of Wisconsin-River Falls, USA
Title: Transcranial magnetic stimulation reveals differences between spasmodic dysphonia and muscle tension dysphonia
Biography
Biography: Sharyl Samargia
Abstract
Adductor spasmodic dysphonia (AdSD) is a form of focal dystonia resulting in a strained voice quality during speech tasks. The pathophysiology of AdSD is largely unknown and differential diagnosis is challenging due to the shared perceptual features with muscle tension dysphonia (MTD). Considering MTD does not have a neurologic-basis, comparison of cortical excitability, using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), between MTD and AdSD offers a novel approach in differential diagnosis. A direct comparison of cortical excitability in AdSD and MTD has not previously been reported.