Speech Characteristics Across Motor Subtypes of Parkinson's Disease

Background

Speech differences may occur between motor subtypes of Parkinson's disease (PD), but the literature remains limited.

Aims

Examine speech characteristics in individuals with PD across the tremor-dominant, nontremor-dominant and mixed subtypes comparing to healthy controls.

Methods and Procedures

A total of 115 individuals with PD were included in the study, classified as tremor-dominant (n = 61), nontremor-dominant (n = 39) and mixed (n = 15) subtypes according to the Movement Disorder Society – Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale. The control group (CG) consisted of 15 individuals. Speech samples were collected through sustained vowel /a/, diadochokinesis (/pataka/), and monologue and were analysed using both auditory perceptual and acoustic analyses.

Outcomes and Results

In the diadochokinesis and monologue task, the nontremor-dominant subtype showed shorter production time and, consequently, produced fewer syllables than the CG. The mixed subtype, on the other hand, did not differ from the CG and performed similarly across all tasks. However, the average duration of the syllables in the monologue task significantly differed between the mixed and nontremor-dominant subtypes.

Conclusions and Implications

There are speech variations among PD motor subtypes. The nontremor-dominant subtype exhibited poorer speech performance, while the mixed subtype's speech patterns were more similar to those of the CG.

WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS

What is already known on the subject

• The existing literature is limited by varied and unclear methodological approaches to speech analysis and subtype classification, small sample sizes and a need for further comparison with a control group. Furthermore, no studies were found that assess speech in the mixed subtype.

What this paper adds to the existing knowledge

• In diadochokinesis and monologue, the nontremor-dominant subtype showed shorter production time and, consequently, a smaller number of syllables when compared to the control group. The mixed subtype did not differ from the control group, performing similarly in all tasks. Significant differences were between the mixed subtypes and nontremor-dominant regarding the average duration of the syllables in the monologue task.

What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?

• This study has a limitation: assessments were performed during the ON phase of medication, which may have masked some speech changes, especially in the dominant tremor subtype. These findings represent a pattern observed across subtypes at a single time point in a cross-sectional study. As such, they may not reflect changes or developments that may occur over time or in different contexts. Therefore, as part of future perspectives, it is not yet known whether these results persist over a long period. We encourage researchers to conduct longitudinal studies with this population to better identify speech changes.