Pathophysiology of speech and voice disorders in Parkinson's disease patients treated with deep brain stimulation

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K19507
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Neurology
• Research Institution: Nagoya University
• Principal Investigator: Takashi Tsuboi 名古屋大学, 医学部附属病院, 医員 (50772266)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: パーキンソン病 / 脳深部刺激療法 / 発話障害 / 治療法

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We aimed to reveal the pathophysiology of speech and voice disorders in Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients treated with deep brain stimulation (DBS) and establish the treatment strategies for them. We found that Approximately 90% of PD patients had one or more types of speech and voice disorders (hypokinetic dysarthria, breathy voice, and stuttering) before surgery, which stemmed from PD itself, that Strained voice and spastic dysarthria were the most common DBS-induced speech and voice disorders, and that stuttering and breathy voice can be worsened by STN-DBS in a minority of patients. Additionally, male gender, worse cognitive function especially visuospatial/executive function and memory, worse motor function, and higher dose of anti-parkinsonian drugs are the possible risk factors for stuttering. Further studies are warranted to establish objective evaluation methods of speech and voice disorders and effective treatment strategies.

Free Research Field

神経内科学