Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41204680›Full record

ArticleMovement disorders : official journal of the Movement Disorder Society2026

Brain-Computer Interface Improves Symptoms of Isolated Focal Laryngeal Dystonia: A Single-Blind Study.

Stefan K Ehrlich, Garrett Tougas, Jacob Bernstein, Nicole Buie, Anna F Rumbach, Kristina Simonyan

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Movement disorders : official journal of the Movement Disorder Society, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Stefan K EhrlichDepartment of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Garrett TougasDepartment of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Jacob BernsteinDepartment of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Nicole BuieDepartment of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Anna F RumbachDepartment of Speech Pathology, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Kristina SimonyanDepartment of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7444-0437

Funding

Imaging genetics of spasmodic dysphoniaR01DC011805 · NIDCD · MASSACHUSETTS EYE AND EAR INFIRMARY · PI Kristina Simonyan · 2012 to 2026
$8.8M
Voice tremor in spasmodic dysphonia: central mechanisms and treatment responseR01DC012545 · NIDCD · MASSACHUSETTS EYE AND EAR INFIRMARY · PI SIMONYAN, KRISTINA · 2012 to 2021
$5.2M
Clinical Validation of DystoniaNet Deep Learning Platform for Diagnosis of Isolated DystoniaR01NS124228 · NINDS · MASSACHUSETTS EYE AND EAR INFIRMARY · PI Kristina Simonyan · 2022 to 2026
$2.7M
Brain Networks in DystoniaR01NS088160 · NINDS · MASSACHUSETTS EYE AND EAR INFIRMARY · PI SIMONYAN, KRISTINA · 2015 to 2019
$2.4M
Adaptive closed-loop brain-computer interface therapeutic intervention in laryngeal dystoniaR01DC019353 · NIDCD · MASSACHUSETTS EYE AND EAR INFIRMARY · PI SIMONYAN, KRISTINA · 2021 to 2025
$1.8M
NIDCD NIH HHS R01 DC011805NIDCD NIH HHS R01 DC012545NIDCD NIH HHS R01 DC019353NIDCD NIH HHS R01DC019353NINDS NIH HHS R01 NS088160NINDS NIH HHS R01 NS124228
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND

objectiveLaryngeal dystonia (LD) is a focal task-specific dystonia, affecting speaking but not whispering or emotional vocalizations. Therapeutic options for LD are limited. We developed and tested a non-invasive, closed-loop, neurofeedback, brain-computer interface (BCI) intervention for LD treatment.

methodsTen patients with isolated focal LD participated in the study. The personalized BCI system included visual neurofeedback of individual real-time electroencephalographic (EEG) activity during symptomatic speaking compared to asymptomatic whispering, presented in the virtual reality (VR) environment of real-life scenarios. During five consecutive days of intervention, patients used the BCI to learn to modulate their abnormally increased brain activity during speaking and match it to near-normal activity of asymptomatic whispering. Changes in voice symptoms and EEG activity were quantified for the evaluation of BCI effects.

resultsCompared to baseline, LD patients had a statistically significant reduction of their voice symptoms on Days 1-5 of BCI intervention. Thi was paralleled by improved controllability of the visual neurofeedback and a significant reduction of left frontal delta power, including superior and middle frontal gyri, on Day 1 and left central gamma power, including premotor, primary sensorimotor, and inferior parietal areas, on Days 3 and 5. The majority of patients (70%) reported sustained positive effects of the BCI intervention on their voice quality 1 week after the study participation.

conclusionThe closed-loop BCI neurofeedback intervention specifically targeting disorder pathophysiology shows significant potential as a novel treatment option for patients with LD and likely other forms of task-specific focal dystonia. © 2025 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

Indexed as

Brain-Computer InterfacesDystonic DisordersLaryngeal DiseasesNeurofeedbackAdultAgedElectroencephalographyFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedSingle-Blind Methodbrain–computer interfacesdystonianeurofeedbacksensorimotor rehabilitation

Identifiers

PMID41204680
PMCPMC12703932

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.