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Abnormal speech articulation, psychomotor retardation, and subcortical dysfunction in major depression
A J Flint1, S E Black, I Campbell-Taylor
1Department of Psychiatry, Toronto General Hospital, Ontario, Canada.
Journal of Psychiatric Research
|July 1, 1993
Summary
Psychomotor slowing in major depression and Parkinson's disease (PD) may stem from similar brain mechanisms. Acoustic analysis revealed shared speech articulation deficits in both conditions, suggesting nigrostriatal dysfunction in depression.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Speech Science
Background:
- Psychomotor retardation, affecting speech, motility, and cognition, is prevalent in major depression.
- This symptom is also a hallmark of subcortical disorders like Parkinson's disease (PD).
- A hypothesis links depression-related retardation to mesolimbic-nigrostriatal dysfunction.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the hypothesis that psychomotor slowing in major depression is associated with nigrostriatal dysfunction.
- To compare speech articulation in major depression with that in Parkinson's disease, a condition known for striatal dopamine depletion affecting articulation.
Main Methods:
- Acoustic analysis of speech articulation was performed on 30 subjects with major depression, 30 patients with PD, and 31 healthy controls.
- Three specific acoustic measures of articulation were assessed.
Main Results:
- Both major depression and PD groups exhibited significantly shortened voice onset time and decreased second formant transition compared to controls.
- The major depression group also showed increased spirantization.
- No significant acoustic differences were found between the major depression and PD groups.
Conclusions:
- The findings suggest that nigrostriatal dysfunction may underlie psychomotor slowing in major depression.
- Shared acoustic articulation deficits between major depression and PD provide indirect support for this hypothesis.