ScienceDaily
Your source for the latest research news
Follow Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Subscribe RSS Feeds Newsletters
New:
  • Plate Tectonics: 3.8-Billion-Year-Old Crystal
  • Prehistoric People Created Art by Firelight
  • Got Food Cravings? Role of Gut Microbes
  • New 'Soldier' for Cancer Immunotherapy
  • Pterosaurs Could Change Their Feather Color
  • Astronomers Discover Micronovae: Stellar ...
  • How Our Gaze Is 'Anchored' in the Brain
  • Jupiter's Moon Has Splendid Dunes
  • Search for Extraterrestrial Life: New Hope
  • Effects of Air Pollution from Western Wildfires
advertisement
Follow all of ScienceDaily's latest research news and top science headlines!
Science News
from research organizations

1

2

How machine learning can help with voice disorders

By detecting signs of vocal misuse, system could eventually be used to help diagnose voice disorders

Date:
August 29, 2016
Source:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, CSAIL
Summary:
A wearable device has been developed that can tell if a user is misusing their voice and potentially someday be used to help detect vocal disorders.
Share:
FULL STORY

There's no human instinct more basic than speech, and yet, for many people, talking can be taxing. 1 in 14 working-age Americans suffer from voice disorders that are often associated with abnormal vocal behaviors -- some of which can cause damage to vocal cord tissue and lead to the formation of nodules or polyps that interfere with normal speech production.

advertisement

Unfortunately, many behaviorally-based voice disorders are not well understood. In particular, patients with muscle tension dysphonia (MTD) often experience deteriorating voice quality and vocal fatigue ("tired voice") in the absence of any clear vocal cord damage or other medical problems, which makes the condition both hard to diagnose and hard to treat.

But a team from MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) believes that better understanding of conditions like MTD is possible through machine learning.

Using accelerometer data collected from a wearable device developed by researchers at the MGH Voice Center, researchers demonstrated that they can detect differences between subjects with MTD and matched controls. The same methods also showed that, after receiving voice therapy, MTD subjects exhibited behavior that was more similar to that of the controls.

"We believe this approach could help detect disorders that are exacerbated by vocal misuse, and help to empirically measure the impact of voice therapy," says MIT PhD student Marzyeh Ghassemi, who is first author on a related paper that she presented at last week's Machine Learning in Health Care (MLHC) conference in Los Angeles. "Our long-term goal is for such a system to be used to alert patients when they are using their voices in ways that could lead to problems."

The paper's co-authors include MIT professor John Guttag; Zeeshan Syed, CEO of the machine-learning start-up Health[at]Scale; and Drs. Robert Hillman, Daryush Mehta and Jarrad H. Van Stan of Massachusetts General Hospital.

advertisement

How it works

Existing approaches to applying machine learning to physiological signals often involve supervised learning, in which researchers painstakingly label data and provide desired outputs. Besides being time-consuming, such methods currently can't actually help classify utterances as normal or abnormal, because there is currently not a good understanding of the correlations between accelerometer data and voice misuse.

Because the CSAIL team did not know when vocal misuse was occurring, they opted to use unsupervised learning, where data is unlabeled at the instance level.

"People with vocal disorders aren't always misusing their voices, and people without disorders also occasionally misuse their voices," says Ghassemi. "The difficult task here was to build a learning algorithm that can determine what sort of vocal cord movements are prominent in subjects with a disorder."

The study was broken into two groups: patients that had been diagnosed with voice disorders, and a control group of individuals without disorders. Each group went about their daily activities while wearing accelerometers on their necks that captured the motions of their vocal folds.

advertisement

Researchers then looked at the two groups' data, analyzing more than 110 million "glottal pulses" that each represent one opening and closing of the vocal folds. By comparing clusters of pulses, the team could detect significant differences between patients and controls.

The team also found that after voice therapy the distribution of patients' glottal pulses were more similar to those of the controls. According to Guttag, this is the first such study to use machine learning to provide objective evidence of the positive effects of voice therapy.

"When a patient comes in for therapy, you might only be able to analyze their voice for 20 or 30 minutes to see what they're doing incorrectly and have them practice better techniques," says Dr. Susan Thibeault, a professor at the department of surgery at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health who was not involved in the research. "As soon as they leave, we don't really know how well they're doing, and so it's exciting to think that we could eventually give patients wearable devices that use round-the-clock data to provide more immediate feedback."

Looking ahead

One long-term goal of the work is to be able to use the data not just to improve the lives of those with voice disorders, but to potentially help diagnose specific disorders.

The team also hopes to further explore the underlying reason why certain kinds of vocal pulses are more common in patients than in controls.

"Ultimately we hope this work will lead to smartphone-based biofeedback," says Hillman. "That sort of technology can help with the most challenging aspect of voice therapy: getting patients to actually employ the healthier vocal behaviors that they learned in therapy in their everyday lives."

make a difference: sponsored opportunity

Story Source:

Materials provided by Massachusetts Institute of Technology, CSAIL. Original written by Adam Conner-Simons. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Cite This Page:

  • MLA
  • APA
  • Chicago
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, CSAIL. "How machine learning can help with voice disorders: By detecting signs of vocal misuse, system could eventually be used to help diagnose voice disorders." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 29 August 2016. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/08/160829140438.htm>.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, CSAIL. (2016, August 29). How machine learning can help with voice disorders: By detecting signs of vocal misuse, system could eventually be used to help diagnose voice disorders. ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 23, 2022 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/08/160829140438.htm
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, CSAIL. "How machine learning can help with voice disorders: By detecting signs of vocal misuse, system could eventually be used to help diagnose voice disorders." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/08/160829140438.htm (accessed April 23, 2022).

  • RELATED TOPICS
    • Health & Medicine
      • Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
      • Today's Healthcare
      • Children's Health
      • Patient Education and Counseling
    • Matter & Energy
      • Acoustics
      • Medical Technology
      • Telecommunications
      • Wearable Technology
advertisement

  • RELATED TERMS
    • Laryngitis
    • Vocal folds
    • Voice over IP
    • Personality disorder
    • Eye examination
    • HIV test
    • Nutrition and pregnancy
    • Neurology

1

2

3

4

5
Featured Content
from New Scientist

Stress-testing sausages may give vegan products a meat-like mouthfeel
April 12, 2022 — Plant-based alternatives to sausages can sometimes lack the textures of meat products, and testing the mechanical properties of the foods explains why.
Russia and Ukraine are both weaponising mobile phones to track troops
April 11, 2022 — Mobile phones ping signals to nearby communications towers, allowing both Ukrainian and Russian soldiers to track the movement of opposition forces.
AI strips out city noise to improve earthquake monitoring systems
April 13, 2022 — The sounds of cities can make it hard to discern the underground signals that indicate an earthquake is happening, but deep learning algorithms could filter out this noise.

Visit New Scientist for more global science stories >>>


1

2

3

4

5
RELATED STORIES

Wearable Sensor Measures Airborne Nicotine Exposure from E-Cigarettes
Dec. 8, 2021 — Some studies have shown that nicotine, an addictive substance in electronic cigarettes, increases the risk of cardiovascular and respiratory disorders. But to get a full understanding of its ...
Wearable Device Can Detect and Reverse Opioid Overdose
Nov. 22, 2021 — Researchers have developed a wearable device to detect and reverse an opioid overdose. The device, worn on the stomach like an insulin pump, senses when a person stops breathing and moving, and ...
Small Generator Captures Heat Given Off by Skin to Power Wearable Devices
Apr. 29, 2021 — Scientists have developed a small, flexible device that can convert heat emitted from human skin to electrical power. In their research the team showed that the device could power an LED light in ...
Wearables to Boost Security of Voice-Based Log-in
Oct. 17, 2017 — A security-token necklace, ear buds or eyeglasses developed by researchers could eliminate vulnerabilities in voice authentication -- the practice of logging in to a device or service with your voice ...
  Print   Email   Share

advertisement

1

2

3

4

5
Most Popular
this week

SPACE & TIME
Neptune Is Cooler Than We Thought: Study Reveals Unexpected Changes in Atmospheric Temperatures
Perseverance Records the First Ever Sounds from Mars
Astronomers Have Spotted the Farthest Galaxy Ever
MATTER & ENERGY
Tumors Partially Destroyed With Sound Don't Come Back
A New Heat Engine With No Moving Parts Is as Efficient as a Steam Turbine
Nanoparticles Show Promise for Locating, Removing Endometriosis Lesions
COMPUTERS & MATH
The Ethics of Research on 'Conscious' Artificial Brains
Researchers Take Step Toward Developing 'Electric Eye'
Engineered Crystals Could Help Computers Run on Less Power
advertisement

Strange & Offbeat
 

SPACE & TIME
Dying Stars' Cocoons Might Explain Fast Blue Optical Transients
Astronomers Identify Likely Location of Medium-Sized Black Holes
Astronomers Discover Micronovae, a New Kind of Stellar Explosion
MATTER & ENERGY
Making 3D Printing Truly 3D: Eliminating Need for 2D Layering
The Physics of a Singing Saw
Highway Death Toll Messages Cause More Crashes
COMPUTERS & MATH
This Algorithm Has Opinions About Your Face
Molecular Robots Work Cooperatively in Swarms
Researchers Take Step Toward Developing 'Electric Eye'
SD
  • SD
    • Home Page
    • Top Science News
    • Latest News
  • Home
    • Home Page
    • Top Science News
    • Latest News
  • Health
    • View all the latest top news in the health sciences,
      or browse the topics below:
      Health & Medicine
      • Allergy
      • Alternative Medicine
      • Birth Control
      • Cancer
      • Diabetes
      • Diseases
      • Heart Disease
      • HIV and AIDS
      • Obesity
      • Stem Cells
      • ... more topics
      Mind & Brain
      • ADD and ADHD
      • Addiction
      • Alzheimer's
      • Autism
      • Depression
      • Headaches
      • Intelligence
      • Psychology
      • Relationships
      • Schizophrenia
      • ... more topics
      Living Well
      • Parenting
      • Pregnancy
      • Sexual Health
      • Skin Care
      • Men's Health
      • Women's Health
      • Nutrition
      • Diet and Weight Loss
      • Fitness
      • Healthy Aging
      • ... more topics
  • Tech
    • View all the latest top news in the physical sciences & technology,
      or browse the topics below:
      Matter & Energy
      • Aviation
      • Chemistry
      • Electronics
      • Fossil Fuels
      • Nanotechnology
      • Physics
      • Quantum Physics
      • Solar Energy
      • Technology
      • Wind Energy
      • ... more topics
      Space & Time
      • Astronomy
      • Black Holes
      • Dark Matter
      • Extrasolar Planets
      • Mars
      • Moon
      • Solar System
      • Space Telescopes
      • Stars
      • Sun
      • ... more topics
      Computers & Math
      • Artificial Intelligence
      • Communications
      • Computer Science
      • Hacking
      • Mathematics
      • Quantum Computers
      • Robotics
      • Software
      • Video Games
      • Virtual Reality
      • ... more topics
  • Enviro
    • View all the latest top news in the environmental sciences,
      or browse the topics below:
      Plants & Animals
      • Agriculture and Food
      • Animals
      • Biology
      • Biotechnology
      • Endangered Animals
      • Extinction
      • Genetically Modified
      • Microbes and More
      • New Species
      • Zoology
      • ... more topics
      Earth & Climate
      • Climate
      • Earthquakes
      • Environment
      • Geography
      • Geology
      • Global Warming
      • Hurricanes
      • Ozone Holes
      • Pollution
      • Weather
      • ... more topics
      Fossils & Ruins
      • Ancient Civilizations
      • Anthropology
      • Archaeology
      • Dinosaurs
      • Early Humans
      • Early Mammals
      • Evolution
      • Lost Treasures
      • Origin of Life
      • Paleontology
      • ... more topics
  • Society
    • View all the latest top news in the social sciences & education,
      or browse the topics below:
      Science & Society
      • Arts & Culture
      • Consumerism
      • Economics
      • Political Science
      • Privacy Issues
      • Public Health
      • Racial Disparity
      • Religion
      • Sports
      • World Development
      • ... more topics
      Business & Industry
      • Biotechnology & Bioengineering
      • Computers & Internet
      • Energy & Resources
      • Engineering
      • Medical Technology
      • Pharmaceuticals
      • Transportation
      • ... more topics
      Education & Learning
      • Animal Learning & Intelligence
      • Creativity
      • Educational Psychology
      • Educational Technology
      • Infant & Preschool Learning
      • Learning Disorders
      • STEM Education
      • ... more topics
  • Quirky
    • Top News
    • Human Quirks
    • Odd Creatures
    • Bizarre Things
    • Weird World
Free Subscriptions

Get the latest science news with ScienceDaily's free email newsletters, updated daily and weekly. Or view hourly updated newsfeeds in your RSS reader:

  • Email Newsletters
  • RSS Feeds
Follow Us

Keep up to date with the latest news from ScienceDaily via social networks:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
Have Feedback?

Tell us what you think of ScienceDaily -- we welcome both positive and negative comments. Have any problems using the site? Questions?

  • Leave Feedback
  • Contact Us
About This Site  |  Staff  |  Reviews  |  Contribute  |  Advertise  |  Privacy Policy  |  Editorial Policy  |  Terms of Use
Copyright 2022 ScienceDaily or by other parties, where indicated. All rights controlled by their respective owners.
Content on this website is for information only. It is not intended to provide medical or other professional advice.
Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily, its staff, its contributors, or its partners.
Financial support for ScienceDaily comes from advertisements and referral programs, where indicated.
— CCPA: Do Not Sell My Information — — GDPR: Privacy Settings —