Gaze-speech coordination during social interaction in Parkinson's disease
Timothy L Hodgson1, Frouke Hermens1, Gemma Ezard2
1School of Psychology, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, UK.
International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders
|October 10, 2023
Summary
People with Parkinson's disease (PD) exhibit altered eye movements during conversation, with longer fixations on faces, impacting communication efficiency. Increased awareness of these oculomotor deficits can improve social connection for those with PD.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Communication Sciences
- Ophthalmology
Background:
- Parkinson's disease (PD) affects motor, cognitive, and social functions, including speech and voluntary eye movement control.
- Voluntary eye movements are crucial for conversational turn-taking, but their role in PD communication is understudied.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify eye movement patterns during spoken conversation in individuals with mild Parkinson's disease.
- To determine if observed eye gaze differences correlate with disrupted conversational turn-taking and reduced communication efficiency.
Main Methods:
- Eleven participants with mild PD and 14 controls engaged in a 3-minute guessing game.
- Mobile eye trackers recorded eye movements, and speech onset/offset times were captured simultaneously.
- Participants alternated roles as describer and guesser.
Main Results:
- When describing, individuals with PD elicited fewer correct guesses from their partners compared to controls.
- PD participants showed longer periods of eye fixation on their partner's face and fewer such fixations overall.
- Performance in the guessing role was comparable between PD patients and controls.
Conclusions:
- A combination of oculomotor, cognitive, and speech impairments likely disrupts communication in Parkinson's disease.
- Enhanced understanding of PD-related oculomotor deficits can improve social interaction and connectedness for patients.
- Clinicians should be aware of how Parkinson's disease affects eye gaze control to better support patient communication.
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