Logo image
No Differential Effects of Subthalamic Nucleus vs. Globus Pallidus Deep Brain Stimulation in Parkinson’s Disease: Speech Acoustic and Perceptual Findings
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

No Differential Effects of Subthalamic Nucleus vs. Globus Pallidus Deep Brain Stimulation in Parkinson’s Disease: Speech Acoustic and Perceptual Findings

Frits van Brenk, Kaila L. Stipancic, Andrea Rohl, Daniel Corcos, Kris Tjaden and Jeremy D.W. Greenlee
IBRO neuroscience reports, Vol.16, pp.361-367
06/2024
DOI: 10.1016/j.ibneur.2024.01.015
PMCID: PMC10902141
PMID: 38425546
url
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibneur.2024.01.015View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) in the Subthalamic Nucleus (STN) or the Globus Pallidus Interna (GPI) is well-established as a surgical technique for improving global motor function in patients with idiopathic Parkinson’s Disease (PD). Previous research has indicated speech deterioration in more than 30% of patients after STN-DBS implantation, whilst speech outcomes following GPI-DBS have received far less attention. Research comparing speech outcomes for patients with PD receiving STN-DBS and GPI-DBS can inform pre-surgical counseling and assist with clinician and patient decision-making when considering the neural targets selected for DBS-implantation. The aims of this pilot study were (1) to compare perceptual and acoustic speech outcomes for a group of patients with PD receiving bilateral DBS in the STN or the GPI with DBS stimulation both ON and OFF, and (2) examine associations between acoustic and perceptual speech measures and clinical characteristics. Ten individuals with PD receiving STN-DBS and eight individuals receiving GPI-DBS were audio-recorded reading a passage. Three listeners blinded to neural target and stimulation condition provided perceptual judgments of intelligibility and overall speech severity. Speech acoustic measures were obtained from the recordings. Acoustic and perceptual measures and clinical characteristics were compared for the two neural targets and stimulation conditions. Intelligibility and speech severity were not significantly different across neural target or stimulation conditions. Generally, acoustic measures were also not statistically different for the two neural targets or stimulation conditions. Acoustic measures reflecting more varied speech prosody were associated with improved intelligibility and lessened severity. Convergent correlations were found between UPDRS-III speech scores and perceptual measures of intelligibility and severity. This study reports a systematic comparison of perceptual and acoustic speech outcomes following STN-DBS and GPI-DBS. Statistically significant differences in acoustic measures for the two neural targets were small in magnitude and did not yield group differences in perceptual measures. The absence of robust differences in speech outcomes for the two neural targets has implications for pre-surgical counseling. Results provide preliminary support for reliance on considerations other than speech when selecting the target for DBS in patients with PD.
Surgery dysarthria intelligibility speech production speech severity UPDRS speech

Details

Metrics

Logo image