Intelligibility Assessment for Parkinson's Disease

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The investigators aim at testing the efficacy of an app to measure sentence intelligibility in noise in speakers with Parkinson's disease and in healthy controls.

Detailed Description
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Close to 90% of people with Parkinson's disease develop voice problems during the course of the disease. These problems lead to reduced intelligibility, which entails a subsequent reduction in social participation and overall quality of life. The current study will focus on developing and pilot-testing an app to measure the intelligibility of people with PD and of healthy controls. In order to test the app's efficacy, speakers will read a set of 50 sentences that will be embedded in noise for measurement purposes. A group of listeners will also transcribe the spoken sentences to correlate their performance to that of the app. The ultimate purpose of this investigation is to improve self-monitoring and self-sufficiency in people with PD. The study is expected to last 12 months.

Official Title
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Automatic Assessment of Intelligibility in Individuals With Parkinson's Disease

Conditions
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Parkinson Disease

Intervention / Treatment
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* Device: Understand Me For Life


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Speakers with PD: Inclusion Criteria: Have a medical diagnosis of Parkinson's disease Have experienced changes in your voice (e.g., your voice has lost its strength) and your voice is a current concern Have not received individual speech therapy for the past 2 years (group therapy is ok) Have a stable medication schedule Have not received DBS (Deep Brain Stimulation) Are a native speaker of American English Exclusion Criteria: If criteria above are not met Healthy controls: Inclusion Criteria: Be a native speaker of American English Have no history of neurological impairment Have no history of speech or language problems Exclusion Criteria: If criteria above are not met Listeners: Inclusion Criteria: Be a native speaker of American English Be between 18-55 years old Have no history of speech-language-hearing problems Pass a free hearing screening Have received the Covid19 vaccine Exclusion Criteria: If criteria above are not met

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 30 Years
Maximum Age: 85 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Basic Science
Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Other: Speakers<br>Participants will be recording sentences using a customized app, which is the focus of the current investigation. There is no arm per se, as the current investigation does not involve an intervention. The current investigation aims at developing and pilot testing an app. | Device: Understand Me For Life<br>* The aim of the current investigation is to test the efficacy of an app to measure sentence intelligibility in noise in speakers with Parkinson's disease and in healthy controls.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Transcription scores | Percent of words correctly transcribed | 30 minutes | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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intelligibility, voice disorders, dysarthria