Bone Conduction Feedback in Professors: Case Studies on Voice Production with Forbrain®

Objective: In response to the heightened vocal risks faced by teachers and professors, and the potential connection between auditory-motor integration and voice disorders, this study was conducted to investigate the impact of altered auditory feedback through bone conduction on various voice production parameters in university professors.

Methods: Two vocally healthy college professors, one male and one female, participated in the study. They wore DIY voice dosimeters during a series of eight 80-minute lectures held in the same classroom, with the same cohort of students. The professors experienced real-time altered auditory feedback using the Forbrain® device during four of these lectures. The Forbrain® device, equipped with bone conductors and a microphone, provided immediate voice feedback. The study’s objective was to assess and compare the effects of altered auditory feedback on various voice acoustic parameters across these sessions.

Results: Voice data collected from the dosimeter included Sound Pressure Level (SPL), fundamental frequency (fo), and time dose. The first two parameters were analyzed as time histories with a time step of 0.05 seconds. Generalized additive models were fitted to these time histories, revealing statistically significant decreases in SPL and fo during lectures in which the Forbrain® device was worn. Additionally, a reduction in time dose during these lectures was observed.

Conclusions: This study presents compelling evidence that the provision of altered auditory feedback through bone conduction, obtained by the Forbrain® device, leads to a statistically significant decrease in voice accumulation during teaching sessions for two college professors. These findings underscore the potential benefits of altered auditory feedback for vocal health and the management of vocal risks among occupational voice users.