How speech listening and learning affect speaking in Parkinson's

Relationship between speech perceptual learning and speech production in Parkinson’s disease

NIH-funded research State University of New York at Buffalo · NIH-11254926

This project looks at whether people with Parkinson's who have trouble learning speech sounds also have related difficulties changing how they speak.

Quick facts

Grant typeR21 grant
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionState University of New York at Buffalo NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Amherst, United States)
Project IDNIH-11254926 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

You would take part in listening tasks and short training sessions while researchers record your speech. They will measure acoustic features like rate, loudness, and clarity and compare how well people learn new speech patterns. The team will look for links between how you perceive and learn speech and how you produce it. Findings will be used to guide better, more personalized speech therapy approaches.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Adults with Parkinson's disease who notice changes in their speech (for example softer, slower, or less clear speech) and who can complete listening and speaking tasks are ideal candidates.

Not a fit: People without speech problems, those with severe cognitive impairment who cannot follow tasks, or those unable to travel to the study site are unlikely to benefit directly from participation.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this research could help speech therapists tailor treatments to each person's ability to perceive and learn speech, improving everyday communication.

How similar studies have performed: Some established speech therapies help people with Parkinson's, but directly linking speech perceptual learning to speech production is a newer, less-tested approach.

Where this research is happening

Amherst, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Conditions DiseaseDisorderDyskinesia Syndromes
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.