Tracking breathing, voice, and speech changes in Parkinson's disease
Official title: Comprehensive assessment of speech physiology and acoustics in Parkinson's disease progression
Funded at Boston University (Charles River Campus) · NIH-11264783 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project follows people with Parkinson's and links changes in breathing, voice, and mouth movements to everyday speech and communication problems.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Boston University (Charles River Campus) NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | February 2, 2023 |
| Project end | January 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $709,577 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DC020867-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11264783 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults diagnosed with Parkinson's disease who are experiencing changes in speech or voice and can attend study visits are ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People without Parkinson's disease or those whose speech problems are due to non-Parkinson's causes are unlikely to benefit directly from this project.
What this research studies
If you have Parkinson's, the team will follow your speech over time and measure how breathing, vocal fold function, and mouth/tongue movements change as the disease progresses. They will record acoustic samples (what your voice sounds like), collect patient-centered questionnaires about how speech affects your daily life, and take physiological measurements of the speech subsystems. The study will compare which simple sound-based tests reflect the underlying physiological changes and which changes matter most to patients. The aim is to identify practical speech markers that clinics can use to track progression and focus therapy on the problems that reduce communication the most.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help clinicians target therapy to the speech mechanisms that most affect everyday communication and introduce simple acoustic tests usable in routine clinics.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies have linked some acoustic measures to Parkinsonian speech, but this comprehensive, longitudinal linking of physiology, acoustics, and patient-centered outcomes is largely new.
Where this research is happening
-
Boston University (Charles River Campus)
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Stepp, Cara E. — Boston University (Charles River Campus)
- Study coordinator: Stepp, Cara E.
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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How speech listening and learning affect speaking in Parkinson's
This project looks at whether people with Parkinson's who have trouble learning speech sounds also have related difficulties changing how they speak.
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How speech perception affects speech production in Parkinson's disease
This study is looking at how people with Parkinson's disease hear and produce speech to find out why some have a harder time speaking after therapy, with the goal of creating better, personalized help for them.
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Understanding how speech changes in Parkinson's disease
This study looks at how the way you speak changes with Parkinson's disease and how that affects your communication experience, so we can find out what really matters to you and help doctors choose the best treatments.
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Gut-brain clues in Parkinson’s disease: supplement to a large registry
A plant-wide supplement to an NIH program will enroll people with Parkinson’s, with and without GI symptoms, plus healthy controls, to study how gut function, brain signals, and sleep rhythms relate to Parkinson’s symptoms.
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Gut-brain connections in Parkinson’s disease: how the gut and environment shape symptoms
A Mayo Clinic team is studying how gut problems, environmental factors, and genetics together influence Parkinson’s disease and its GI symptoms to find biomarkers and better understanding of the disease.
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Gut-brain communication in Parkinson’s disease for better symptoms and daily life
This project enrolls people with Parkinson’s disease and healthy controls to build a big registry and study how gut function, brain signals, sleep, and circadian rhythms relate to PD symptoms.
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.