How speech listening and learning affect speaking in Parkinson's
Official title: Relationship between speech perceptual learning and speech production in Parkinson’s disease
Funded at State University of New York at Buffalo · NIH-11254926 · Data updated 2026-11-12
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 type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | State University of New York at Buffalo NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Amherst, United States) |
| Project start | January 6, 2025 |
| Project end | December 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $201,250 |
| NIH project number | 5R21DC022390-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11254926 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
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.
✕Less likely to help
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.
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.
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 gone: 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
-
State University of New York at Buffalo
Amherst, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Dinino, Mishaela T — State University of New York at Buffalo
- Study coordinator: Dinino, Mishaela T
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.