New Science Behind Speech Impairments in Parkinson's Disease
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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.
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@satyajit On a global scale, PD is the second-most common neurodegenerative disorder. It is marked by progressive declines in motor function and cognition. A frequent and debilitating symptom of PD is difficulty uttering intelligible speech. It is one of the earliest impairments of PD. Speech production is innately complex, resulting in multidimensional symptoms in patients with PD. Common symptoms include hoarse voice, imprecise articulation, and monotonous prosody. However, it is challenging to robustly quantify pathological changes in speech impairments as well as to identify the affected brain systems. Researchers believe their data further the knowledge of fundamental mechanisms involved in speech production in health and disease.