Using speech analysis to understand emotions, movement, and cognition in Parkinson's disease

SPEECH as Biomarker for Emotion, Movement and cOgnition in Parkinson's Disease

This study tests if analyzing speech can help understand changes in movement, emotions, and thinking in people with Parkinson's disease to improve their treatment.

Quick facts

• Phase: Not applicable
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 80 (estimated)
• Ages: 30 Years to 75 Years
• Sex: All
• Sponsor: Insel Gruppe AG, University Hospital Bern (Academic / other)
• Locations: 2 sites (Prague and 1 other locations)
• Trial ID: NCT05765110 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this trial studies

This study investigates the potential of computerized speech analysis to objectively detect fluctuations in motor function, emotional state, and cognitive processes in patients with Parkinson's disease. By analyzing speech patterns, the researchers aim to gain insights into how these three aspects are affected by the disease and its treatments, including medication and deep brain stimulation. The study will also include healthy subjects as a control group to compare speech changes in different contexts. The goal is to improve therapy management for Parkinson's patients through detailed analysis of their speech.

Who should consider this trial

Good fit: Ideal candidates for this study are adults aged 30 to 75 with idiopathic Parkinson's disease who are fluent in German or French.

Not a fit: Patients with speech disorders unrelated to Parkinson's disease, significant cognitive impairment, or other neurological conditions may not benefit from this study.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this study could lead to more effective management of Parkinson's disease by providing a reliable method to monitor and adjust treatments based on real-time speech analysis.

How similar studies have performed: While the use of speech analysis in clinical settings is emerging, this specific approach to monitor Parkinson's disease fluctuations is relatively novel and has not been extensively tested in prior studies.

Eligibility criteria

Patients with Parkinson's Disease

Inclusion Criteria:

* Written informed consent
* Idiopathic PD according to the Movement Disorders Society Criteria;
* Age of participants \> 30 and ≤ 75 years;
* Treatment with or without bilateral deep brain stimulation in the subthalamic nucleus;
* Fluent in German or French

Exclusion Criteria:

* Dysarthria caused in addition by a condition other than PD (e.g. stroke, myasthenia);
* Clinical diagnosis of aphasia;
* Brain disease other than Parkinson's disease (e.g. atypical Parkinsonism, Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, multiple sclerosis, stroke, traumatic brain injury, epilepsy, etc.).
* Cognitive impairment (Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCa) \< 24/30 points);
* Depression with acute suicidal ideation

Healthy Controls

Inclusion Criteria:

* Written informed consent
* Adults from 50-70 years old;
* Fluent in German or French

Exclusion Criteria:

* Diagnosis of Parkinson's disease;
* Cognitive impairment (Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCa) \< 24/30 points);
* Suffering from brain disease (e.g. atypical Parkinsonism, Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, multiple sclerosis, stroke, traumatic brain injury, epilepsy, etc.);
* Clinical diagnosis of aphasia, dysarthria, and stuttering;
* Suffering from or diagnosed with psychiatric illnesses according to DSM-V criteria

Where this trial is running

Prague and 1 other locations

• Czech Technical University Prague — Prague, Czechia (Active_not_recruiting)
• University Hospital Inselspital, Berne — Bern, Switzerland (Recruiting)

Study contacts

• Principal investigator: Paul Krack, Prof. — Insel Gruppe AG, University Hospital Bern
• Study coordinator: Paul Krack, Prof.

Conditions Parkinson Disease; Speech; Emotion; Movement; Cognition; Biomarker; Automated speech analysis