Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has spasmodic dysphonia, a voice disorder caused by a malfunction in the brain. Here’s what to know.

The sometimes difficult-to-understand speech of Robert F Kennedy Jr is not a stylistic choice but rather the result of a neurological condition known as spasmodic dysphonia. During his election campaign last year, Kennedy's raspy and gruff voice raised concerns among listeners, particularly when he spoke through microphones or on television.

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 voice to go into periods of spasm, according to Penn Medicine. It is a lifelong condition, but can be improved with treatment in some cases, according to Penn Medicine.

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

Spasmodic dysphonia (SD), sometimes referred to as laryngeal dystonia, is a rare neurological condition impacting the voice and speech that impacts approximately 50,000 people in North America. For people with SD, muscles spasms in the larynx (also known as the voice box) cause the voice to sound tight, strangled or strained.

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