Voice abnormalities and their relation with motor dysfunction in Parkinson's disease

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Speech-Language Pathology
• Otolaryngology

Background:

• Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder affecting motor control.
• Voice and speech impairments are common non-motor symptoms in PD.
• Understanding these voice changes is crucial for patient quality of life.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess perceptual and acoustic voice parameters in Parkinson's disease patients.
• To investigate the relationship between voice parameters and motor symptoms measured by the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS).

Main Methods:

• Compared voice analyses (GRBAS, acoustic measures, Voice Handicap Index) of 20 PD patients with 20 controls.
• Included videolaryngostroboscopy (VLS) for glottic evaluation.
• Correlated acoustic parameters with UPDRS motor scores.

Main Results:

• PD patients exhibited higher breathiness, asthenia, and Voice Handicap Index scores.
• Maximum phonation time and diadochokinetic rate were reduced in PD patients.
• Higher variability of fundamental frequency (vF0) was observed in male PD patients; non-closure glottic pattern was more frequent in PD.

Conclusions:

• Voice impairments, including breathiness and reduced phonation time, are prevalent in Parkinson's disease.
• While voice changes are evident, significant correlations with motor symptom severity (UPDRS) were limited in this study.
• Further research may explore other factors influencing voice in PD.