Longitudinal Changes in Speech Breathing in Older Adults with and without Parkinson's Disease.
Jessica E Huber, Meghan Darling-White
PMID 28618443WHAT IT FOUND
Over about 3 years and 7 months, speech severity and speech rate increased for people with Parkinson's disease, and they began and ended speech at lower lung volumes.
Typical older adults showed the opposite lung volume pattern.
Key findings
01Speech severity increased from Wave 1 to Wave 2 for participants with Parkinson's disease but not for typical older adults, and Parkinson's disease scores were higher only at Wave 2.
02Typical older adults increased lung volume initiation, lung volume excursion, and percent vital capacity per syllable, while participants with Parkinson's disease decreased lung volume initiation and lung volume termination.
03Vital capacity decreased from Wave 1 to Wave 2 in both groups, with no significant group difference or group-by-wave interaction.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample was small: 8 participants with Parkinson's disease and 8 age- and sex-matched controls. Approximately 50% of participants were lost between Wave 1 and Wave 2, and losses occurred in both groups. The remaining sample likely reflects people who started in mild or mild to moderate stages of Parkinson's disease and aged well. Only matched pairs who both returned for Wave 2 were included, and the participants came from a larger study. Some participants had treatment changes between visits, including deep-brain stimulation and speech therapy, which could affect speech or breathing. The study did not measure chest wall rigidity or other factors that might explain lower lung volumes in Parkinson's disease.
Declared interests
The supplied text does not report author conflicts of interest. The publication types list research support from N.I.H. extramural and non-U.S. government sources.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the breathing changes as proof that a respiratory treatment will improve speech. This study observed change over time and did not test any therapy.