Kim Y, Sidtis D, Sidtis JJ. Singing and Speaking Ability in Parkinson's Disease and Spinocerebellar Ataxia.
JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2023;
66:126-153. [PMID:
36608288 PMCID:
PMC10023174 DOI:
10.1044/2022_jslhr-22-00274]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2022] [Revised: 08/27/2022] [Accepted: 09/30/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE
This study examined spontaneous, spoken-to-a-model, and two sung modes in speakers with Parkinson's disease (PD), speakers with cerebellar disease (CD), and healthy controls. Vocal performance was measured by intelligibility scores and listeners' perceptual ratings.
METHOD
Participants included speakers with hypokinetic dysarthria secondary to PD, those with ataxic dysarthria secondary to CD, and healthy speakers. Participants produced utterances in four vocal modes: spontaneous speech, spoken-to-a-model, sung-to-a-model, and spontaneous singing. For spoken-to-a-model and sung-to-a-model modes, written material was provided the model. For spontaneous singing, participants sang songs that they endorsed as familiar.
DEPENDENT VARIABLES
In Experiment I, listeners orthographically transcribed the audio samples of the first three vocal modes. In Experiment IIa, raters evaluated the accuracy of the pitch and rhythm of the spontaneous singing of familiar songs. Finally, familiar songs and sung-to-a-model utterances were rated on a competency scale by a second group of raters (Experiment IIb).
RESULTS
Results showed increases in intelligibility during the spoken-to-a-model mode compared with the spontaneous mode in both PD and CD groups. Singing enhanced the vocal output of speakers with PD more than in speakers with CD, as measured by percent intelligibility. PD participants' pitch and rhythm accuracy and competency in singing familiar songs was rated more favorably than those produced by CD participants.
CONCLUSIONS
The findings reveal a vocal task effect for spoken utterances in both groups. Sung exemplars, more impaired in CD, suggest a significant involvement of the cerebellum in singing.
SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL
https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.21809544.
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