Journal Article

Long-term effects of subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation on speech in Parkinson’s disease

Fraix, Valérie, Di Rauso, Giulia, Menozzi, Elisa, Budriesi, Carla, Versari, Annibale, Pinto, Serge, Merlo, Andrea, Scaltriti, Sara, Cavallieri, Francesco, Campanini, Isabella, Cavalleri, Francesca, Damiano, Benedetta, Bardi, Elisa, Biagini, Giuseppe, Gessani, Annalisa, Corni, Maria Giulia, Molinari, Maria Angela, Antonelli, Francesca, Moro, Elena, Fioravanti, Valentina, Contardi, Sara, Valzania, Franco, Fraternali, Alessandro

2023

Overview

Bilateral subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS) is an effective treatment in advanced Parkinson’s Disease (PD). However, the effects of STN-DBS on speech are still debated, particularly in the long-term follow-up. The objective of this study was to evaluate the long-term effects of bilateral STN-DBS on speech in a cohort of advanced PD patients treated with bilateral STN-DBS. Each patient was assessed before surgery through a neurological evaluation and a perceptual-acoustic analysis of speech and re-assessed in the long-term in different stimulation and drug conditions. The primary outcome was the percentage change of speech intelligibility obtained by comparing the postoperative on-stimulation/off-medication condition with the preoperative off-medication condition. Twenty-five PD patients treated with bilateral STN-DBS with a 5-year follow-up were included. In the long-term, speech intelligibility stayed at the same level as preoperative values when compared with preoperative values. STN-DBS induced a significant acute improvement of speech intelligibility (p < 0.005) in the postoperative assessment when compared to the on-stimulation/off-medication and off-stimulation/off-medication conditions. These results highlight that STN-DBS may handle speech intelligibility even in the long-term.

• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group UK,Nature Publishing Group,Nature Portfolio
• Subject: 692/617/375/346 / 692/617/375/346/1718 / Deep brain stimulation / Deep Brain Stimulation - methods / Drugs / Electrical stimuli / Humanities and Social Sciences / Humans / Life Sciences / Long-term effects / Movement disorders / multidisciplinary / Neurodegenerative diseases / Parkinson Disease - surgery / Parkinson's disease / Patients / Science / Science (multidisciplinary) / Solitary tract nucleus / Speech / Speech Intelligibility - physiology / Subthalamic Nucleus / Treatment Outcome