Title: "Effects of Psychosocial Stress on Laryngeal Biology"

Speaker: Dr. Anumitha Venkatraman, Ph.D., CCC-SLP

Psychosocial stress and voice disorders are circularly and inextricably linked. While 25% of patients with voice disorders report increased self-perceived psychosocial stress, a single stressful event causes negative acoustic voice changes. Despite an associative relationship between stress and voice disorders, underlying biological mechanisms remain relatively unexplored. In the gut, stress-induced gut microbial dysbiosis (i.e., altered microbial composition), intestinal epithelial barrier dysfunction and altered sensory mechanisms can increase risk of infection and pathogenic invasion, and delay recovery from injury. If replicated in the larynx, stress could increase laryngeal susceptibility to noxious environmental and systemic stimuli. My research explores the relationship between stress and laryngeal biology using animal models, invitro assays and clinical patients with dysphonia. This talk will highlight my findings wherein psychosocial stress alters laryngeal microbiome composition. I will delineate current and future directions of this program that lies at the intersection of mental health and laryngeal biology.

Attendees are encouraged to join in person in HSAB 2004. Seating is limited (first-come, first-served, ~50 seats), but the seminar will also be available via Zoom.