Understanding voice spasms and tremors (laryngeal dystonia and voice tremor)
Next-generation clinical phenotyping and pathophysiology of laryngeal dystonia and voice tremor
This program will map patterns and causes of voice spasms and tremors to help people with laryngeal dystonia or voice tremor get more accurate diagnoses and better treatments.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11161195 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You may be invited to undergo detailed voice and speech tests, clinical exams, and brain imaging scans and to share your treatment history, including botulinum toxin injections. Teams at Massachusetts Eye and Ear/Mass General, UCSF, and University of Utah will combine clinical data across three projects and a shared core to find distinct symptom patterns and brain signatures. Some efforts will compare human findings with laboratory models to clarify underlying biology. The goal is to use those results to create clearer diagnostic rules and guide disorder-specific care and future targeted therapies.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults diagnosed with or suspected to have laryngeal dystonia or voice tremor, including those receiving or who have received botulinum toxin injections, would be the best fit.
Not a fit: People whose voice problems come from non-neurological causes (like structural throat injury or acute infection) or from unrelated disorders are unlikely to benefit directly.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to clearer diagnoses and more effective, tailored treatments that reduce voice disability and social impact.
How similar studies have performed: Previous work shows botulinum toxin can relieve symptoms and imaging studies suggest brain differences, but a coordinated multi-center effort to standardize phenotyping and create disorder-specific care is new.
Where this research is happening
Boston, United States
- Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary — Boston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Simonyan, Kristina — Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary
- Study coordinator: Simonyan, Kristina
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.