Human vocalization has always been considered in the context of communication. In recent years, mechanical forces have been shown to have a wide variety of effects on biological systems. Since the vocal cords produce measurable vibrations to the surrounding tissue, including the thyroid, I hypothesize that vocalization could mechanically stimulate thyroid epithelial cells.
The data presented in this dissertation highlight some of the important factors for thyroid hormone synthesis. I was able to show that mechanical stimulation provided from vocalization has a similar response as hormonal stimulation on the thyroid. I also demonstrated that this response is dependent on the dosage of the oscillation.
Insight into thyroid stimulation via mechanical forces may be useful for a range of medical issues spanning from hypothyroidism to astronauts travelling in space.