Aaron Johnson of The Beckman Institute has developed an MRI technique that can view dynamic images of vocal movement at 100 frames per second. This speed is far more advanced than any other MRI technique. The method is especially useful in studying how rapidly the tongue moves, along with other muscles in the head and neck, during speech and singing. The attached video demonstrates the results.
To combine the imaging with audio, the researchers used a noise-canceling fiber-optic microphone to pull out the voice, and aligned the audio track with the imaging.
According to Johnson, the neuromuscular system and larynx change and atrophy with age, contributing to deficits associated with the older voice, such as a weak, strained, or breathy voice. He wants to understand how these changes occur, and if interventions, such as vocal training, can reverse the effects. This requires seeing how the muscles of the larynx move in real time.
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