scholarly journals Impact of Clear, Loud, and Slow Speech on Scaled Intelligibility and Speech Severity in Parkinson's Disease and Multiple Sclerosis

2014 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 779-792 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kris Tjaden ◽  
Joan E. Sussman ◽  
Gregory E. Wilding
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Visual Analog Scale ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Clear Speech ◽  
Rate Reduction ◽  
Analog Scale ◽  
Vocal Intensity ◽  
Slow Speech

Purpose The perceptual consequences of rate reduction, increased vocal intensity, and clear speech were studied in speakers with multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson's disease (PD), and healthy controls. Method Seventy-eight speakers read sentences in habitual, clear, loud, and slow conditions. Sentences were equated for peak amplitude and mixed with multitalker babble for presentation to listeners. Using a computerized visual analog scale, listeners judged intelligibility or speech severity as operationally defined in Sussman and Tjaden (2012). Results Loud and clear but not slow conditions improved intelligibility relative to the habitual condition. With the exception of the loud condition for the PD group, speech severity did not improve above habitual and was reduced relative to habitual in some instances. Intelligibility and speech severity were strongly related, but relationships for disordered speakers were weaker in clear and slow conditions versus habitual. Conclusions Both clear and loud speech show promise for improving intelligibility and maintaining or improving speech severity in multitalker babble for speakers with mild dysarthria secondary to MS or PD, at least as these perceptual constructs were defined and measured in this study. Although scaled intelligibility and speech severity overlap, the metrics further appear to have some separate value in documenting treatment-related speech changes.

Effect of Rate Reduction and Increased Loudness on Acoustic Measures of Anticipatory Coarticulation in Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson's Disease

2005 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 261-277 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kris Tjaden ◽  
Gregory E. Wilding
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Speech Production ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Rate Reduction ◽  
Acoustic Measures ◽  
Slow Condition ◽  
Neurologically Normal ◽  
First Moment

The present study compared patterns of anticipatory coarticulation for utterances produced in habitual, loud, and slow conditions by 17 individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS), 12 individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD), and 15 healthy controls. Coarticulation was inferred from vowel F2 frequencies and consonant first-moment coefficients. Rate-related changes in coarticulation differed depending on the particular phonetic events in an utterance. In some instances, the slow condition was associated with stronger anticipatory effects, but in other instances the slow condition was associated with weaker anticipatory effects, relative to other speaking conditions. In contrast, coarticulatory patterns for the loud and habitual conditions typically did not differ. Coarticulatory patterns also tended to be similar among speaker groups within each condition. Finally, when acoustic measures of coarticulation differed among speaking conditions, the direction and magnitude of the effect generally were similar for healthy controls, speakers with MS, and speakers with PD. These results are consistent with studies suggesting mostly preserved patterns of coarticulation for speakers with mild to moderate dysarthria, as well as research indicating only subtle coordination deficits for individuals with dysarthria. The finding that increased loudness had a negligible effect on coarticulation also appears to be at odds with the suggestion that increased loudness stimulates orofacial coordination for speakers with dysarthria, although studies including speakers exhibiting coordination impairments at habitual speaking rates would provide a stronger test of this suggestion. Lastly, the fact that speaking condition similarly affected acoustic measures of anticipatory coarticulation for all speaker groups suggests the feasibility of applying theories and models of speech production for neurologically normal talkers to the study of dysarthria.

scholarly journals Vowel Acoustics in Parkinson's Disease and Multiple Sclerosis: Comparison of Clear, Loud, and Slow Speaking Conditions

2013 ◽  
Vol 56 (5) ◽  
pp. 1485-1502 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kris Tjaden ◽  
Jennifer Lam ◽  
Greg Wilding
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Spectral Characteristics ◽  
Vowel Duration ◽  
Clear Speech ◽  
Formant Frequency ◽  
Vocal Intensity ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Clear Condition

Purpose The impact of clear speech, increased vocal intensity, and rate reduction on acoustic characteristics of vowels was compared in speakers with Parkinson's disease (PD), speakers with multiple sclerosis (MS), and healthy controls. Method Speakers read sentences in habitual, clear, loud, and slow conditions. Variations in clarity, intensity, and rate were stimulated using magnitude production. Formant frequency values for peripheral and nonperipheral vowels were obtained at 20%, 50%, and 80% of vowel duration to derive static and dynamic acoustic measures. Intensity and duration measures were obtained. Results Rate was maximally reduced in the slow condition, and vocal intensity was maximized in the loud condition. The clear condition also yielded a reduced articulatory rate and increased intensity, although less than for the slow or loud conditions. Overall, the clear condition had the most consistent impact on vowel spectral characteristics. Spectral and temporal distinctiveness for peripheral–nonperipheral vowel pairs was largely similar across conditions. Conclusions Clear speech maximized peripheral and nonperipheral vowel space areas for speakers with PD and MS while also reducing rate and increasing vocal intensity. These results suggest that a speech style focused on increasing articulatory amplitude yields the most robust changes in vowel segmental articulation.

scholarly journals Consonant Acoustics in Parkinson's Disease and Multiple Sclerosis: Comparison of Clear and Loud Speaking Conditions

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (2S) ◽  
pp. 569-582 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kris Tjaden ◽  
Vincent Martel-Sauvageau
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Clear Speech ◽  
Spectral Contrast ◽  
Treatment Techniques ◽  
Time Histories ◽  
Vocal Intensity ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The impact of clear speech or an increased vocal intensity on consonant spectra was investigated for speakers with mild dysarthria secondary to multiple sclerosis or Parkinson's disease and healthy controls. Method Sentences were read in habitual, clear, and loud conditions. Spectral moment coefficients were obtained for word-initial and word-medial /s/, /ʃ/, /t/, and /k/. Global production differences among conditions were confirmed with measures of vocal intensity and articulation rate. Results Static or slice-in-time first moments (M1) for loud differed most frequently from habitual, but neither loud nor clear enhanced M1 contrast for consonant pairs. In several instances, the clear and loud conditions yielded stable or nonvarying fricative M1 time histories. Spectral contrast was reduced for word-medial versus word-initial consonant pairs. Conclusion The finding that the loud and especially clear condition yielded fairly subtle changes in consonant spectra suggests these global techniques may minimally enhance consonant segmental production or contrast in mild dysarthria. The robust effect of word position on consonant spectra indicates that this variable deserves consideration in future studies. Future research also is needed to investigate how or whether consonant production bears on the improved intelligibility previously reported for these global dysarthria treatment techniques.

scholarly journals Comparison of Intelligibility Measures for Adults With Parkinson's Disease, Adults With Multiple Sclerosis, and Healthy Controls

2016 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 230-238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaila L. Stipancic ◽  
Kris Tjaden ◽  
Gregory Wilding
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Linear Modeling ◽  
Analog Scale ◽  
Percent Correct ◽  
Peak Intensity ◽  
Strong Positive Relationship ◽  
Vas Scores

Purpose This study obtained judgments of sentence intelligibility using orthographic transcription for comparison with previously reported intelligibility judgments obtained using a visual analog scale (VAS) for individuals with Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis and healthy controls (K. Tjaden, J. E. Sussman, & G. E. Wilding, 2014). Method Speakers read Harvard sentences in habitual, clear, loud, and slow conditions. Sentence stimuli were equated for peak intensity and mixed with multitalker babble. A total of 50 listeners orthographically transcribed sentences. Procedures were identical to those for a VAS reported in Tjaden, Sussman, and Wilding (2014). Results The percent correct scores from transcription were significantly higher in magnitude than the VAS scores. Multivariate linear modeling indicated that the pattern of findings for transcription and VAS was virtually the same with respect to differences among groups and speaking conditions. Correlation analyses further indicated a moderately strong, positive relationship between the two metrics. The majority of these correlations were significant. Last, intrajudge and interjudge listener reliability metrics for the two intelligibility tasks were comparable. Conclusion Results suggest that there may be instances when the less time-consuming VAS task may be a viable substitute for an orthographic transcription task when documenting intelligibility in mild dysarthria.

scholarly journals Internally Versus Externally Cued Speech in Parkinson's Disease and Cerebellar Disease

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (2S) ◽  
pp. 583-595 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phil Weir-Mayta ◽  
Kristie A. Spencer ◽  
Tanya L. Eadie ◽  
Kathryn Yorkston ◽  
Sara Savaglio ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Visual Analog Scale ◽  
Comparison Group ◽  
Read Aloud ◽  
Cerebellar Disease ◽  
Analog Scale ◽  
Speech Task ◽  
Reading Condition ◽  
Cued Speech

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to examine the effects of an internally versus externally cued speech task on perceived understandability and naturalness in speakers with Parkinson's disease (PD) and cerebellar disease (CD).MethodSentences extracted from a covertly recorded conversation (internally cued) were compared to the same sentences read aloud (externally cued) by speakers with PD and a clinical comparison group of speakers with CD. Experienced listeners rated the speech samples using a visual analog scale for the perceptual dimensions of understandability and naturalness.ResultsResults suggest that experienced listeners rated the speech of participants with PD as significantly more natural and more understandable during the reading condition. Participants with CD were also rated as significantly more understandable during the reading condition, but ratings of naturalness did not differ between conversation and reading.ConclusionsSpeech tasks can have a pronounced impact on perceived speech patterns. For individuals with PD, both understandability and naturalness can improve during reading tasks versus conversational tasks. The speech benefits from reading may be attributed to several mechanisms, including possible improvement from an externally cued speech task. These findings have implications for speech task selection in evaluating individuals with dysarthria.

Predicting Intelligibility Deficits in Parkinson's Disease With Perceptual Speech Ratings

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
pp. 433-443 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi-Fang Chiu ◽  
Amy Neel
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Visual Analog Scale ◽  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Voice Quality ◽  
Analog Scale ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Quality Ratings ◽  
Scale Scores

Purpose This study investigated whether perceptual ratings of speech parameters were predictive of transcription intelligibility in quiet and in noise for speakers with Parkinson's disease (PD). Method Ten speakers with PD and five healthy controls read 56 sentences. One group of 60 listeners orthographically transcribed the sentences in quiet, and another group of 60 listeners transcribed in noise. An additional 23 listeners judged a variety of speech parameters, including articulation, prosody, resonance, voice quality, and ease of understanding on a visual analog scale. Scores of the visual analog scale ratings were regressed against transcription intelligibility in quiet and in noise. Results Perceptual ratings of all the speech parameters were lower for speakers with PD. Global speech understanding, indexed by ease of understanding ratings, was associated with transcription intelligibility in quiet and in noise with a stronger effect in noise. Among the rated speech parameters, ease of understanding and voice quality ratings were significant predictors of speech intelligibility in noise. Conclusions Speech in individuals with PD was more difficult for listeners to understand and was characterized by deficits in articulation, prosody, resonance, and voice quality compared to normal speech produced by healthy older adults. Ease of understanding ratings, even when performed in quiet, predicted intelligibility in noise. Poor voice quality ratings in PD, a sign of phonatory deficit, had a negative impact on intelligibility in noise for speakers with PD.

Listener impressions of speakers with Parkinson’s disease

2009 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
ABHISHEK JAYWANT ◽  
MARC D. PELL
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Social Interaction ◽  
Speech Production ◽  
Disease Status ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Temporal Characteristics ◽  
Acoustic Measures ◽  
Vocal Intensity

AbstractParkinson’s disease (PD) has several negative effects on speech production and communication. However, few studies have looked at how speech patterns in PD contribute to linguistic and social impressions formed about PD patients from the perspective of listeners. In this study, discourse recordings elicited from nondemented PD speakers (n= 18) and healthy controls (n= 17) were presented to 30 listeners unaware of the speakers’ disease status. In separate conditions, listeners rated the discourse samples based on their impressions of the speaker or of the linguistic content. Acoustic measures of the speech samples were analyzed for comparison with listeners’ perceptual ratings. Results showed that although listeners rated the content of Parkinsonian discourse as linguistically appropriate (e.g., coherent, well-organized, easy to follow), the PD speakers were perceived as significantly less interested, less involved, less happy, and less friendly than healthy speakers. Negative social impressions demonstrated a relationship to changes in vocal intensity (loudness) and temporal characteristics (dysfluencies) of Parkinsonian speech. Our findings emphasize important psychosocial ramifications of PD that are likely to limit opportunities for communication and social interaction for those affected, because of the negative impressions drawn by listeners based on their speaking voice. (JINS, 2010,16, 49–57.)

scholarly journals A Randomized Crossover Pilot Study of Telemedicine Delivered via iPads in Parkinson’s Disease

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Satoko Sekimoto ◽  
Genko Oyama ◽  
Taku Hatano ◽  
Fuyuko Sasaki ◽  
Ryota Nakamura ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Visual Analog Scale ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Control Period ◽  
Pilot Trial ◽  
Analog Scale ◽  
Telemedicine System ◽  
Phone Calls ◽  
Secondary Outcomes

Background. We investigated the feasibility and safety of a video-based telemedicine system, delivered via a tablet, in Parkinson’s disease (PD).Methods. In a randomized, crossover, open-label pilot trial, we compared a telemedicine period (regular visits every two months with intermediate video calls via an iPad mini) with a control period (regular visits every two months), both lasting 6 months. We included 10 patients diagnosed with PD according to the British Brain Bank criteria, aged 20–75 years. The primary outcome was the PD questionnaire summary index (PDQ-39 SI). Secondary outcomes included the Hoehn and Yahr Stage and scores on the Unified PD Rating Scale (UPDRS) part I–IV, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and visual analog scale for satisfaction.Results. Both study periods were completed by 10 patients with PD. Friedman’s test revealed that there were no significant differences between the two periods in primary and secondary outcomes (p>0.05). With respect to visual analog scale scores for satisfaction, participants indicated high satisfaction with the telemedicine system. The number of extra hospital visits and phone calls did not differ between the periods. There were no adverse events or side effects.Conclusions. We observed that a telemedicine system delivered via a tablet could successfully be used by patients as a part of their care. Further studies investigating the use of telemedicine to replace in-person visits are warranted. This trial is registered withUMIN000015536.

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