Wearable biofeedback to help everyday voice use for strained or nodular voices
Use of ambulatory biofeedback to improve behavioral treatment of vocal hyperfunction
This project uses a small wearable voice monitor that gives real‑time feedback during daily life to help people with voice strain or vocal fold nodules get more lasting benefit from voice therapy.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Massachusetts General Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11311844 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would be randomly assigned to standard Conversation Training Therapy (CTT) alone or CTT plus ambulatory voice monitoring with biofeedback (AVM-B). A wearable device records your voice during daily activities and provides feedback to prompt healthier voicing and practice outside clinic sessions. Researchers will measure how well therapy habits carry over into everyday life immediately after therapy and again months later. The aim is to reduce voice strain, lower recurrence after surgery, and make therapy gains stick by extending treatment into daily routines.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults with vocal hyperfunction such as vocal fold nodules or muscle tension dysphonia who are planning or eligible for Conversation Training Therapy are the ideal candidates.
Not a fit: Patients whose voice problems are primarily neurological or structural in origin, or those unable or unwilling to wear a monitoring device, may not receive benefit from this approach.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, adding ambulatory biofeedback could help patients maintain healthier voice use between clinic visits, lower recurrence of nodules, and improve long-term therapy success.
How similar studies have performed: Prior small studies of ambulatory voice monitoring and biofeedback are limited but show promise for improving real‑world voice use, and this randomized trial will test the approach more rigorously.
Where this research is happening
Boston, United States
- Massachusetts General Hospital — Boston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Van Stan, Jarrad — Massachusetts General Hospital
- Study coordinator: Van Stan, Jarrad
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.