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  • Bone Marrow Grafts for Spinal Cord Repair
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  • Functional Electrical Stimulation for Hand Function in Quadriplegia
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  • Matrix Technology for Spinal Cord Repair
  • National Study of Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Outcomes
  • New Treatments for Brain and Spinal Cord Injuries
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  • Singing in Spinal Cord Injury
  • Sleep Health in Tetraplegia
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Singing in Spinal Cord Injury

Singing in Spinal: An Investigation into the Mechanisms used when Singing and the Efficacy of Singing Training for People with Quadriplegia

Chief Investigator: Ms Jeanette Tamplin
Associate Investigators: Dr David Berlowitz, Mr Jeff Pretto, Associate Professor Douglas Brown, Associate Professor Denise Grocke, Ms Merlyn Quaife, Ms Mary Buttifant
Lead Organisation: Institute for Breathing and Sleep
VNI Funding: $307,129
Project Start Date: 21-Jan-08

Project Summary:
Spinal cord injury is a sudden and traumatic event causing permanent paralysis and ongoing disability. Respiratory dysfunction is a major cause of death and disability in spinal cord injury. Quadriplegia is the loss of function in both arms and legs. Some people with quadriplegia are able to sing far better than would be predicted by their injury level and severity. Singing training has been used in other clinical populations and has been shown to improve respiratory function. This study aims to determine how people with quadriplegia sing. This study also aims to investigate how singing instruction affects respiratory function and voice projection in people with quadriplegia.

This study will investigate the mechanisms and long-term physiological effects of singing in people with quadriplegia. The first phase of this study will assess singing and speech in 10 participants with chronic quadriplegia and 10 matched controls. Physiological tests and acoustic analysis will be used to assess singing and speech. The physiological tests will include spirometry and EMG analysis. The second phase of this study will investigate the use of singing instruction for rehabilitation. Forty participants with chronic quadriplegia will be randomised into control and experimental groups. Participants in the experimental group will undergo singing instruction three times a week for a period of 20 weeks. These participants will be placed in small groups, consisting of no more than 5 people. Similar physiological tests and acoustic analysis to those in phase one, will be used to evaluate the effect of singing instruction. If this therapy is found to be effective it will lead to improved respiratory function in people with quadriplegia.