vocal cords

(noun)

Two folds of tissue located in the larynx that vibrate when air passes over them, producing the sound waves associated with talking and singing.

Related Terms

Examples of vocal cords in the following topics:

  • Laryngitis and Cancer of the Larynx

    • It causes hoarse voice or the complete loss of the voice because of irritation to the vocal folds (vocal cords).
    • It is caused by acid reflux disease, allergies, bacterial or fungal infection, excessive coughing, smoking, or alcohol consumption, inflammation due to overuse of the vocal cords, use of inhaled corticosteroids for asthma treatment, or viral infection.
    • At times, persistent hoarseness or loss of voice (dysphonia) is a result of vocal cord nodules in which case physicians may recommend a course of treatment that may include a surgical procedure and/or speech therapy.
    • For the purposes of tumor staging, the larynx is divided into three anatomical regions: the glottis (true vocal cords, anterior and posterior commissures); the supraglottis (epiglottis, arytenoids and aryepiglottic folds, and false cords); and the subglottis.
    • The apparent extensive exophytic change involves the epiglottis and the vocal cords.

  • Larynx

    • These folds are false vocal folds (vestibular folds) and true vocal folds (folds).
    • The false vocal folds are covered by respiratory epithelium, while the true vocal folds are covered by stratified squamous epithelium.
    • These false vocal folds do not contain muscle, while the true vocal folds do have skeletal muscle.
    • The two sets of folds are separated by the vocal ligament, with the false vocal folds above, and the true vocal cords below the ligament.
    • The true vocal folds are often referred to as the vocal cords, however the folds technically aren't cords.

  • Anabolic Steroids and Muscles

    • Anabolic steroids also have androgenic and masculinity-enhancing properties, including the development and maintenance of masculine characteristics such as the growth of the vocal cords, testicles and body hair (secondary sexual characteristics).

  • Fetal Development

    • Its skin is starting to grow a protective, wax-like layer and tiny air spaces begin to form in the lungs and the vocal cords.

  • Overview of the Spinal Cord

    • The brain and spinal cord together make up the central nervous system (CNS).
    • The dura mater is the outermost layer of spinal cord tissue, forming a tough protective coating.
    • The spinal cord is divided into cervical, thoracic, and lumbar regions.
    • The nerves of the lumbosacral spinal cord supply the pelvic region, legs, and feet.
    • Thirty-one pairs of spinal nerves (sensory and motor) branch from the human spinal cord.

  • Spinal Cord Trauma

    • A spinal cord injury (SCI) refers to any injury to the spinal cord that is caused by trauma and not disease.
    • A spinal cord injury (SCI) refers to any injury to the spinal cord that is caused by trauma instead of disease.
    • An incomplete spinal cord injury involves preservation of motor or sensory function below the level of injury in the spinal cord.
    • Because the spinal cord is so dependent on the structural integrity of the spine, if anything happens to the spine, the cord can be crushed or severed.
    • Autonomic dysreflexia (AD) occurs most often in spinal cord-injured individuals with spinal lesions above the T6 spinal cord level, although, it has been known to occur in patients with a lesion as low as T10.

  • Spinal Cord Compression

    • Spinal cord compression occurs when the spinal cord is compressed by bone fragments.
    • Spinal cord compression develops when the spinal cord is compressed by bone fragments from a vertebral fracture, a tumor, abscess, ruptured intervertebral disc, or other lesion .
    • The most common causes of cord compression are tumors, but abscesses and granulomas (e.g. in tuberculosis) are equally capable of producing the syndrome.
    • Dexamethasone (a potent glucocorticoid) in doses of 16 mg/day may reduce edema around the lesion and protect the cord from injury.
    • In spinal cord compression, the spinal cord (shown here) may be compressed by bone fragments from a vertebral fracture, a tumor, abscess, ruptured intervertebral disc, or other lesion.

  • Structures Used in Voice Production

    • Air Supply: In order for voice to be produced, air must flow through the vocal folds.
    • Vibration: The vocal folds in the glottis of the larynx vibrate as air passes through them.
    • Vowels are articulated sounds that do not come from obstruction, and instead come from an open vocal tract.
    • The articulatory gesture of the active place of articulation involves the more mobile part of the vocal tract.
    • Laryngeal; vocal folds), 12.

  • Spina Bifida

    • Some vertebrae overlying the spinal cord are not fully formed and remain unfused and open.
    • The protruded portion of the spinal cord and the nerves that originate at that level of the cord are damaged or not properly developed.
    • As a result, there is usually some degree of paralysis and loss of sensation below the level of the spinal cord defect.
    • The spinal cord lesion or the scarring due to surgery may result in a tethered spinal cord.
    • In some individuals, this causes significant traction and stress on the spinal cord.

  • Spinal Cord Grey Matter and Spinal Roots

    • The spinal cord is compressed dorsoventrally, giving it an elliptical shape .
    • The cord has grooves in the dorsal and ventral sides.
    • Each segment of the spinal cord is associated with a pair of ganglia, called dorsal root ganglia, which are situated just outside of the spinal cord.
    • Axons of these sensory neurons travel into the spinal cord via the dorsal roots.
    • Describe the grey matter and spinal roots of the spinal cord