# Voice and Speech Sensorimotor Control in Parkinsons Disease

> **NIH NIH R01** · BOSTON UNIVERSITY (CHARLES RIVER CAMPUS) · 2020 · $526,136

## Abstract

Project Summary:
Over 90% of individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD) suffer from speech problems characterized by
impairments of voice and articulation, collectively termed “hypokinetic dysarthria”. These symptoms degrade
speakers' functional communication through decreases in both naturalness and intelligibility. However, little is
known about the relationship between these functional communication outcomes and their underlying neural
sensorimotor bases. While previous work has evaluated disparate aspects of speech motor control in modest
cohorts, the result thus far is a patchwork of seemingly conflicting information. To address this gap, this project
will comprehensively examine the sensorimotor control of speech in PD in a single cohort, utilizing the DIVA
model [34] as a theoretical framework to guide hypothesis development and allow for mechanistic interpretations
of experimental findings. Feedback and feedforward mechanisms of speech motor control affecting both voice
(larynx) and articulation (vocal tract) will be evaluated in 40 individuals with PD and 40 matched control speakers
using behavioral and neural responses to perturbations in somatosensory and auditory feedback. Our primary
hypotheses are that PD involves weaker-than-normal feedforward commands, leading to increased reliance
on feedback control, as well as an impaired ability to update feedforward commands based on discrepancies
between desired and actual movement outcomes. Comprehensive sensorimotor control parameters from each
participant will be compared with their intelligibility and naturalness, determined through rigorous auditory-
perceptual experiments. Identification of the specific sensorimotor bases of speech symptoms in PD are
essential to guide the development of new therapeutic targets to improve communication. For instance, although
speech therapy is the only current treatment, only 13% of patients with PD choose to pursue it, likely due to its
low long-term effectiveness. Given the relatively slow progression of PD and the increased incidence of speech
symptoms with disease progression, developing effective speech treatments is imperative for maintaining quality
of life. This project will result in specific physiological markers that are linked to functional communication
outcomes in PD and can act as critical targets for behavioral and surgical interventions. This will lead to new
treatments that are specific, effective, and tied to functional communication outcomes.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9873952
- **Project number:** 5R01DC016270-03
- **Recipient organization:** BOSTON UNIVERSITY (CHARLES RIVER CAMPUS)
- **Principal Investigator:** FRANK H GUENTHER
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $526,136
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-03-16 → 2023-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9873952

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9873952, Voice and Speech Sensorimotor Control in Parkinsons Disease (5R01DC016270-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9873952. Licensed CC0.

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