New Science Behind Speech Impairments in Parkinson's Disease
-
This study suggests and integrates new methods of spectral brain mapping and speech impairment quantification to characterize the functional neural pathology that plays a role in speech impairment in Parkinson's disease (PD). In a large group of patients with PD, a pathological relationship between articulation impairments and spectral deviations in the left inferior frontal cortex (LIFC) was identified, especially in the alpha and delta bands. In healthy adults, the LIFC is a focal point that features multifrequency interactions with a number of language network regions. The more significant the spectral deviations in the LIFC, the more evident the articulation deficits in patients with PD. The data also revealed that neurophysiological connectivity between LIFC and a network of somatomotor cortices in the beta band independently predicted articulation impairments and fully mediated the effect of cognitive abilities on these impairments.
-
@tasmeen Researchers explored the spectral and spatial definitions of the functional neuropathology underlying decreased speech quality in 59 patients with PD. With this goal in mind, they initially quantified patient speech impairments with a novel interactive tool designed for nonspecialists, showing that this approach surpasses measures based on the automatic extraction of acoustical features. The researchers then introduced a new brain mapping technique of spectral neurophysiological deviations (Spectral Deviation Index; SDI) between each patient and a group of 65 demographically-matched healthy controls.