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An Instrumented Pull Test to Characterize Postural Responses
Published on: April 6, 2019
Bidirectional interference between speech and postural stability in individuals with Parkinson's disease
Christopher Dromey1, Eon Jarvis, Stuart Sondrup
1Department of Communication Disorders, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA. dromey@byu.edu
International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology
|July 1, 2010
Summary
Parkinson's disease (PD) impairs speech and balance when multitasking. Individuals with PD experienced worsened speech and postural control during dual-tasking, increasing daily activity risks.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Speech-Language Pathology
- Biomechanics
Background:
- Parkinson's disease (PD) is associated with impaired motor control and multitasking deficits.
- Dual-task interference, particularly between speech and postural control, is a significant concern for individuals with PD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of dual-tasking on speech and postural stability in individuals with Parkinson's disease.
- To quantify bidirectional interference between speaking and a challenging postural task.
Main Methods:
- Nine individuals with PD, seven age-matched controls, and 10 healthy young controls participated.
- Participants performed single and dual tasks involving speech (utterance repetition) and postural control (rise-to-toes task).
- Speech (diphthong transitions) and postural variables (motion capture, force plate) were measured.
Main Results:
- Individuals with PD showed poorer performance on the isolated postural task compared to controls.
- Bidirectional dual-task interference was observed, with reduced speech articulation and impaired postural stability (smaller, slower, less stable movements) in the PD group.
- Despite listener-rated mild-to-moderate dysarthria, objective speech measures did not differ significantly in single-task conditions.
Conclusions:
- Concurrent speech and postural tasks significantly impair both speech and postural control in individuals with Parkinson's disease.
- This dual-task interference may increase the risk of falls and accidents during daily activities for people with PD.
- The findings highlight the complex interplay between speech and balance deficits in Parkinson's disease.
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