The aging voice: A review, treatment data and familial and genetic perspectives

This paper will provide a review of aspects of vocal aging within the conte xt of general body aging and describe two data sets related to the aging vo ice. Data will be presented which document pre- to posttreatment improvemen t in select voice characteristics (sound pressure level, subglottal air pre ssure, thyroarytenoid laryngeal muscle activity and voice quality) followin g application of an intensive voice treatment program (the LSVT (R)) to 3 i ndividuals with aged voice. Additionally, physiological data (forced expira tory volume, visual accommodation, bone density, taste discrimination, whit e blood count and resting heart rate) and select perceptual (perceived age) and acoustic measures (reflecting both cycle-to-cycle and longer-term inte nsity and frequency stability) from 67 subjects will be reviewed from the w ork of Gray and colleagues to document the differential impact of the globa l aging process across organ systems including the aging voice. Copyright ( C) 2001 S. Karger AG, Basel.