Vocal Training Mitigates Age-related Changes Within the Vocal Mechanism in Old Rats

Overview

Journal J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci

Specialty Geriatrics

Date 2013 May 15

PMID 23671289

Citations 28

Authors

Aaron M Johnson

Michelle R Ciucci

Nadine P Connor

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Aging affects voice production and is associated with reduced communicative ability and quality of life. Voice therapy is a critical component of treatment, but its effects on neuromuscular mechanisms are unknown. The ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) of rats can be used to test the effects of aging and voice use on the laryngeal neuromuscular system. This study tested the hypothesis that age-related changes in the USVs of rats and laryngeal neuromuscular junctions can be reversed through vocal exercise. Young and old rats were trained for 8 weeks to increase their USVs and were compared with a no intervention group pre- and post-treatment. USV acoustics and aspects of neuromuscular junction (NMJ) morphology were measured in the thyroarytenoid muscle. Vocal training reduced or eliminated some age differences found in both USVs and NMJs. We conclude that vocal exercise may assist in mitigating age-related changes in voice characteristics and underlying neuromuscular adaptations.

Citing Articles

Positron emission tomography neuroimaging of [F]fluorodeoxyglucose uptake and related behavior in the -/- rat model of Parkinson disease.

Converse A, Krasko M, Rudisch D, Lunaris C, Nisbet A, Slesarev M Front Neurosci. 2024; 18:1451118.

PMID: 39474461 PMC: 11520326. DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2024.1451118.

Rats that learn to vocalize for food reward emit longer and louder appetitive calls and fewer short aversive calls.

Wardak A, Olszynski K, Polowy R, Matysiak J, Filipkowski R PLoS One. 2024; 19(2):e0297174.

PMID: 38335191 PMC: 10857575. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0297174.

Early ultrasonic vocalization deficits and related thyroarytenoid muscle pathology in the transgenic TgF344-AD rat model of Alzheimer's disease.

Rudisch D, Krasko M, Barnett D, Mueller K, Russell J, Connor N Front Behav Neurosci. 2024; 17:1294648.

PMID: 38322496 PMC: 10844490. DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1294648.

Utilizing novel recurrent laryngeal motor nerve conduction studies to characterize the aging larynx: A pilot study.

Baertsch H, Cvancara D, Bhatt N Laryngoscope Investig Otolaryngol. 2023; 8(3):739-745.

PMID: 37342107 PMC: 10278111. DOI: 10.1002/lio2.1071.

Changes in ultrasonic vocalizations after unilateral cerebral ischemia in a rat stroke model.

Cullins M, Lenell C, Ciucci M, Connor N Behav Brain Res. 2022; 439:114252.

PMID: 36496078 PMC: 9795729. DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2022.114252.

References

Hoit J, HIXON T . Age and speech breathing. J Speech Hear Res. 1987; 30(3):351-66. DOI: 10.1044/jshr.3003.351. View

Thomas L, Harrison A, Stemple J . Aging thyroarytenoid and limb skeletal muscle: lessons in contrast. J Voice. 2007; 22(4):430-50. DOI: 10.1016/j.jvoice.2006.11.006. View

Wang S, Kawabuchi M, Zhou C, Hirata K, Tan H, Kuraoka A . The spatiotemporal characterization of endplate reoccupation, with special reference to the superposition patterns of the presynaptic elements and the postsynaptic receptor regions during muscle reinnervation. J Peripher Nerv Syst. 2004; 9(3):144-57. DOI: 10.1111/j.1085-9489.2004.09304.x. View

Neto H, Marques M . Estimation of the number and size of motor units in intrinsic laryngeal muscles using morphometric methods. Clin Anat. 2008; 21(4):301-6. DOI: 10.1002/ca.20624. View

Slater C . Structural determinants of the reliability of synaptic transmission at the vertebrate neuromuscular junction. J Neurocytol. 2004; 32(5-8):505-22. DOI: 10.1023/B:NEUR.0000020607.17881.9b. View

Ciucci M, Ahrens A, Ma S, Kane J, Windham E, Woodlee M . Reduction of dopamine synaptic activity: degradation of 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalization in rats. Behav Neurosci. 2009; 123(2):328-36. PMC: 2737695. DOI: 10.1037/a0014593. View

Johnson A, Ciucci M, Russell J, Hammer M, Connor N . Ultrasonic output from the excised rat larynx. J Acoust Soc Am. 2010; 128(2):EL75-9. PMC: 2924901. DOI: 10.1121/1.3462234. View

Panksepp J, Burgdorf J . 50-kHz chirping (laughter?) in response to conditioned and unconditioned tickle-induced reward in rats: effects of social housing and genetic variables. Behav Brain Res. 2000; 115(1):25-38. DOI: 10.1016/s0166-4328(00)00238-2. View

Pette D, Staron R . Transitions of muscle fiber phenotypic profiles. Histochem Cell Biol. 2001; 115(5):359-72. DOI: 10.1007/s004180100268. View

10.

HIROTO I, Hirano M, Toyozumi Y, Shin T . Electromyographic investigation of the intrinsic laryngeal muscles related to speech sounds. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol. 1967; 76(4):861-72. DOI: 10.1177/000348946707600415. View

11.

McGinnis M, Yu W . Age-related changes in androgen receptor levels in cranial nerve nuclei of male rats. Brain Res Bull. 1995; 36(6):581-5. DOI: 10.1016/0361-9230(94)00248-y. View

12.

Bolte S, Cordelieres F . A guided tour into subcellular colocalization analysis in light microscopy. J Microsc. 2007; 224(Pt 3):213-32. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2818.2006.01706.x. View

13.

Riede T . Subglottal pressure, tracheal airflow, and intrinsic laryngeal muscle activity during rat ultrasound vocalization. J Neurophysiol. 2011; 106(5):2580-92. PMC: 3214115. DOI: 10.1152/jn.00478.2011. View

14.

. Age-related changes in neuromuscular innervation. Muscle Nerve Suppl. 1997; 5:S83-7. DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-4598(1997)5+<83::aid-mus20>3.0.co;2-z. View

15.

Connor N, Suzuki T, Lee K, Sewall G, Heisey D . Neuromuscular junction changes in aged rat thyroarytenoid muscle. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol. 2002; 111(7 Pt 1):579-86. DOI: 10.1177/000348940211100703. View

16.

SMITH D . Acetylcholine storage, release and leakage at the neuromuscular junction of mature adult and aged rats. J Physiol. 1984; 347:161-76. PMC: 1199440. DOI: 10.1113/jphysiol.1984.sp015059. View

17.

Hirano M, Kurita S, Sakaguchi S . Ageing of the vibratory tissue of human vocal folds. Acta Otolaryngol. 1989; 107(5-6):428-33. DOI: 10.3109/00016488909127535. View

18.

Matochik J, White N, Barfield R . Variations in scent marking and ultrasonic vocalizations by Long-Evans rats across the estrous cycle. Physiol Behav. 1992; 51(4):783-6. DOI: 10.1016/0031-9384(92)90116-j. View

19.

Johanson Jr W, Pierce A . Lung structure and function with age in normal rats and rats with papain emphysema. J Clin Invest. 1973; 52(11):2921-7. PMC: 302560. DOI: 10.1172/JCI107488. View

20.

Elkerdany M, Fahim M . Age changes in neuromuscular junctions of masseter muscle. Anat Rec. 1993; 237(2):291-5. DOI: 10.1002/ar.1092370215. View