Dr. Theresa A. Burnett

I study laryngeal neurophysiology. My primary area of research is audiovocal integration. The brain uses auditory feedback to help develop and maintain voice motor control throughout the lifespan. Automatic (reflex-like) voice motor control is evident when voice amplitude quickly changes in response to a change in the voice signal-to-noise ratio. Volitional voice motor control is evident when we speak or sing with appropriate inflection or musicality. If hearing is impaired, voice motor control may be adversely affected. I use behavioral tasks and functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate the systems of brain activity associated with automatic and voliational voice motor control and audiovocal integration.

Previously, I investigated swallowing kinematics and the effect of laryngeal neuromuscular stimulation (using needle electrodes) on the timing and extent of hyolaryngeal movement. The long-term objective of this research is to develop a prosthetic neuromuscular stimulation device that may be implanted in the region of select muscles in chronically dysphagic patients, and activated during swallowing to increase hyolaryngeal movement and improve airway protection.

I hold a Certificate of Clinical Competence in speech-language pathology, and am licensed to practice speech pathology in California. My clinical expertise centers on childhood articulation disorders, voice problems, and the communication and swallowing difficulties that can occur as a result of traumatic brain injury or stroke.

My long-term research goal is to determine the central regions and understand the physiological mechanisms that comprise the human audio-vocal system. I plan to build upon my behavioral research and investigate the audio-vocal system using functional neuroimaging. I aim to identify the systems of brain activity that enable humans to use sound for voice motor control, and test hypotheses about human audio-vocal integration that are grounded in animal models of neurophysiology. Ultimately, this work will lead to an improved understanding of basic voice motor control, vocal skill acquisition, error correction, and sensorimotor adaptation throughout the lifespan.

Functional electrical stimulation (FES) devices may hold promise for improving swallowing safety in a subset of patients with chronic dysphagia by (1) improving airway protection, and (2) improving bolus passage through the upper esophageal sphincter. If successful, FES devices are expected to reduce caregiver dependency and improve quality of life.