Robert F. Kennedy Jr. explains why his voice sounds raspy and strained, causing difficulty when he speaks. Here's more about spasmodic dyshphonia ...

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has attracted a lot of attention for his raspy voice, which results from a neurological voice disorder called spasmodic dysphonia. Kennedy ...

Spasmodic dysphonia is a rare neurological disorder that causes involuntary spasms in the vocal cords, making speech strained, breathy, or hoarse.

Spasmodic dysphonia is a neurological disorder that causes muscle spasms in the voice box or larynx, according to the NIH. How severe the spasms are can range greatly.

Spasmodic dysphonia can cause “involuntary voice spasms in the voice box or larynx,” according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. It’s a lifelong condition that frequently affects women between the ages of 30 ...

Abductor spasmodic dysphonia is another type of condition, which causes “sudden involuntary spasms that trigger the vocal cords to open,” per John Hopkins Medicine.

What causes spasmodic dysphonia? Experts believe that disruptions in the basal ganglia, a region the brain that assists muscle coordination, can contribute to spasmodic dysphonia, NIDCD says.

What is spasmodic dysphonia? Kennedy's condition is called spasmodic dysphonia, which is a neurologic disorder that can affect the voice and speech by causing the muscles that generate a person’s ...