Effects of Deep Brain Stimulation on Speech in Parkinson's Disease
Author Information
Author(s): Karen Chenausky, Joel MacAuslan, Richard Goldhor
Primary Institution: Speech Technology and Applied Research Corporation, Bedford, MA, USA
Hypothesis
How do different deep brain stimulation settings affect speech in patients with Parkinson's disease?
Conclusion
Deep brain stimulation settings can improve speech in Parkinson's patients, but some settings may also worsen speech.
Supporting Evidence
- DBS settings can improve speech, making it closer to normal.
- Some DBS settings may impair speech rather than improve it.
- Patients showed significant differences in syllable rate and variability compared to normal controls.
Takeaway
This study looked at how changing the settings of a brain device can help or hurt the way people with Parkinson's disease talk.
Methodology
Speech of 10 Parkinson's patients and 12 normal controls was analyzed for various acoustic measures before and after deep brain stimulation.
Potential Biases
The study's findings may be influenced by the subjective nature of speech assessments and the variability in individual patient responses.
Limitations
The study did not assess speech quality during the adjustment of DBS settings, focusing instead on motor symptoms.
Participant Demographics
10 patients with Parkinson's disease (2 female, 8 male; ages 48 to 70) and 12 normal controls (5 female, 7 male; age range 26–67).
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.001
Statistical Significance
p<0.001
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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