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CHS Office of ResearchLisa ThomasLisa Thomas entered the Rehabilitation Sciences Doctoral Program in fall 2004 after a career as an acute care speech-language pathologist and Assistant Professor of Communication Disorders at her alma mater, Marshall University. Since her arrival at UK, Lisa has worked closely with her mentor, Joseph Stemple, in the study of voice and voice disorders. Her research efforts have been translational in nature, spanning the clinical and basic sciences. Two of her recent manuscripts, Voice Therapy: Does Science Support the Art? and The Aging Thyroarytenoid: Lessons in Contrast, are currently in press and expected to come forth in print in the coming months. During her doctoral experience, Lisa has lectured regionally and nationally on the topics of voice therapy, vocal aging, and the influence of Duchenne muscular dystrophy on the laryngeal musculature. Lisa plans to take her qualifying examinations in summer 2007 and then to begin work on her dissertation. Her goal is to conduct a translational study examining the effect of Duchenne muscular dystrophy on the interarytenoid and cricoarytenoid muscles of the larynx. She anticipates that results of the study will offer valuable information regarding the phenotype of these muscles and their potential role in rehabilitation of disordered voices. Lisa attributes her interest in translational research to Dr. Joseph Stemple (CD) and Dr. Francisco Andrade (Physiology). Both of these professors are working to link the bench science of the laryngeal musculature to the clinical care of patients. Lisa is appreciative of the constant guidance and generosity of these professors during her years of study and hopes that her contribution to their work will offer substantial benefits to the field of voice.
Lisa's research abstractLaryngeal Muscles are Spared in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is caused by the loss of the cytoskeletal protein, dystrophin. The disease leads to severe and progressive skeletal muscle wasting. Interestingly, the disease spares some muscles. Purpose: The purpose of the study was to determine whether dystrophin deficiency affects the intrinsic laryngeal muscles. Methods: Larynges from dystrophin-deficient mdx and normal mice were examined histologically. Results: There was no evidence of damage, inflammation, necrosis, or regeneration in the mdx laryngeal muscles. Conclusions: The authors concluded that the laryngeal muscles are one of only a few muscle groups spared in dystrophin deficiency. The muscles may count on intrinsic and adaptive protective mechanisms to cope with the absence of dystrophin. Identifying these protective mechanisms should improve DMD management. The study also highlighted the unique features of the laryngeal muscles and validated the use of the mouse model for the study of the laryngeal musculature.
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 Lisa Thomas |
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