Browsing by Subject "Intensity"

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    Eliciting and Characterizing Porcine Vocalizations: When Pigs Fly
    (Elsevier, 2022-04-30) Zhang, Lujuan; Fujiki, Robert Brinton; Brookes, Sarah; Calcagno, Haley; Awonusi, Oluwaseyi; Kluender, Keith; Berry, Kevin; Venkatraman, Anumitha; Maulden, Amanda; Sivasankar, M. Preeti; Voytik-Harbin, Sherry; Halum, Stacey; Otolaryngology -- Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine
    Background/Objectives: While voice-related therapeutic interventions are often researched preclinically in the porcine model, there are no well-established methods to induce porcine glottic phonation. Described approaches such as training animals to phonate for positive reinforcement are time-consuming and plagued by inherent variability in the type of phonation produced and contamination of background noise. Thus, a reliable method of assessing glottic phonation in the porcine model is needed. Methods: In this study, we have created a novel pulley-based apparatus with harness for “pig-lifting” with surrounding acoustic insulation and high-directional microphone with digital recorder for recording phonation. Praat and Matlab were used to analyze all porcine vocalizations for fundamental frequency (F0), intensity, duration of phonation and cepstral peak prominence (CPP). Glottic phonation was detected using F0 (≥ 2000 hz), duration (≥.3 seconds) and researcher perceptual judgment. Partial-glottic phonations were also analyzed. Reliability between researcher judgment and acoustic measures for glottic phonation detection was high. Results: Acoustic analysis demonstrated that glottic and partial-glottic phonation was consistently elicited, with no formal training of the minipigs required. Glottic vocalizations increased with multiple lifts. Glottic phonation continued to be elicited after multiple days but became less frequent. Glottic and partial-glottic phonations had similar CPP values over the 6 experimental days. Conclusion: Our cost-effective, reliable method of inducing and recording glottic phonation in the porcine model may provide a cost effective, preclinical tool in voice research.
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    Polarity- and Intensity-Independent Modulation of Timing During Delay Eyeblink Conditioning Using Cerebellar Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation
    (SpringerLink, 2020-06) Mitroi, Jessica; Burroughs, Leah; Moussa-Tooks, Alexandra B.; Bolbecker, Amanda R.; Lundin, Nancy B.; O’Donnell, Brian F.; Hetrick, William P.; Psychiatry, School of Medicine
    Delay eyeblink conditioning (dEBC) is widely used to assess cerebellar-dependent associative motor learning, including precise timing processes. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), noninvasive brain stimulation used to indirectly excite and inhibit select brain regions, may be a promising tool for understanding how functional integrity of the cerebellum influences dEBC behavior. The aim of this study was to assess whether tDCS-induced inhibition (cathodal) and excitation (anodal) of the cerebellum differentially impact timing of dEBC. A standard 10-block dEBC paradigm was administered to 102 healthy participants. Participants were randomized to stimulation conditions in a double-blind, between-subjects sham-controlled design. Participants received 20-min active (anodal or cathodal) stimulation at 1.5 mA (n = 20 anodal, n = 22 cathodal) or 2 mA (n = 19 anodal, n = 21 cathodal) or sham stimulation (n = 20) concurrently with dEBC training. Stimulation intensity and polarity effects on percent conditioned responses (CRs) and CR peak and onset latency were examined using repeated-measures analyses of variance. Acquisition of CRs increased over time at a similar rate across sham and all active stimulation groups. CR peak and onset latencies were later, i.e., closer to air puff onset, in all active stimulation groups compared to the sham group. Thus, tDCS facilitated cerebellar-dependent timing of dEBC, irrespective of stimulation intensity and polarity. These findings highlight the feasibility of using tDCS to modify cerebellar-dependent functions and provide further support for cerebellar contributions to human eyeblink conditioning and for exploring therapeutic tDCS interventions for cerebellar dysfunction.