Finite-element modeling of laryngeal muscle activation
To better interpret the experimental results, we developed a finite-element model of laryngeal muscle activation, which has been used to understand muscular control of vocal fold eigenfrequencies (Yin and Zhang, 2013).
This finite-element model of laryngeal muscle activation was used to investigate arytenoid motion under the influence of the lateral cricoarytenoid (LCA) muscle, as shown below from the front, side, and top views. Contraction of the LCA muscle leads to a rotational motion in the coronal plane, with limited rotation in the horizontal plane and sliding motion along the cricoid cartilage. (Yin and Zhang, 2014).
This finite-element model of laryngeal muscle activation was later extended to include the cricothyroid, interarytenoid, and posterior cricoarytenoid muscles (Yin and Zhang, 2016). The following video shows vocal fold posturing due to sequential activation of the LCA/IA/TA and LCA/IA/CT muscles.
Yin, J., Zhang, Z. (2013). The influence of thyroarytenoid and cricothyroid muscle activation on vocal fold stiffness and eigenfrequencies, J. Acoust. Soc. Am., 133, 2972-2983. [pdf] [link]
Yin, J., Zhang, Z. (2014). Interaction between the thyroarytenoid and lateral cricoarytenoid muscles in the control of vocal fold adduction and eigenfrequencies, Journal of Biomechanical Engineering, 136(11), 111006. [pdf] [link]
Yin, J., Zhang, Z. (2016). Laryngeal muscular control of vocal fold posturing: Numerical modeling and experimental validation, J. Acoust. Soc. Am., 140(3), EL280-EL284. [pdf] [link]
