Speech Motor Profiles in Primary Progressive Aphasia.

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Speech-Language Pathology
• Linguistics

Background:

• Research on motor speech disorders (MSDs) in primary progressive aphasia (PPA) has predominantly focused on the nonfluent/agrammatic variant (nfvPPA).
• Existing studies often emphasize apraxia of speech, with limited systematic investigation into other MSDs like dysarthria across diverse PPA subtypes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of MSDs in a prospective cohort of individuals with PPA, irrespective of their specific subtype.
• To broaden the understanding of MSDs beyond apraxia of speech and nfvPPA.

Main Methods:

• 38 participants with a primary progressive aphasia (PPA) diagnosis were included.
• Speech samples were collected using various modalities and complexity levels.
• Expert raters performed auditory speech analyses using a novel protocol covering all speech dimensions.

Main Results:

• Nearly half (47.4%) of participants exhibited some form of MSD.
• A wide range of individual speech motor profiles were observed, including various dysarthria syndromes, neurogenic stuttering, and mixed forms.
• MSDs were identified even in patients whose speech and language profiles did not align with nfvPPA.

Conclusions:

• Motor speech disorders are prevalent in PPA and can manifest as diverse syndromes.
• Future research should encompass all PPA variants and explore the qualitative aspects of motor speech dysfunction across all speech dimensions.
• Findings highlight the need for comprehensive assessment of MSDs in PPA.