Voice changes during dual task walking in Parkinson's disease

Concurrent talking and walking are integral to everyday life. This study aimed to examine how dual task walking involving spontaneous speech affects phonatory and gait parameters in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD).

Thirty-six individuals with PD and 11 healthy older adults (HOA) participated in the study. Participants completed dual tasks which consisted of producing monologues along with a simple gait (i.e., straight-line walking) and a complex gait (i.e., walking with turning and obstacle avoidance). Sound pressure level (SPL) and fundamental frequency (F0) were analyzed from the monologues. Gait variables included velocity, stride length, and enhanced gait variability index (eGVI). Multilevel linear models were performed to determine the effects of group and conditions on phonatory and gait measures.

Both groups exhibited similar patterns of increased mean SPL and F0 in dual task conditions compared to single task speaking. The PD group, however, showed greater declines in gait velocity and stride length during dual tasking particularly in the complex gait condition.

Individuals with PD demonstrated comparable dual task intensity increase to HOA, albeit at the expense of gait metrics of slower walking and smaller steps. This suggests a task prioritization pattern of favoring vocal output in PD during concurrent walking tasks. Individual factors of motor symptoms and balance control appear to moderate the positive voice dual task effects.