Associations of Voice Metrics with Postural Function in Parkinson’s Disease
Anna Carolyna Gianlorenço,
Valton Costa,
Walter Fabris-Moraes,
Paulo Eduardo Portes Teixeira,
Paola Gonzalez,
Kevin Pacheco-Barrios,
Ciro Ramos-Estebanez,
Arianna Di Stadio,
Mirret M. El-Hagrassy,
Deniz Durok Camsari,
Tim Wagner,
Laura Dipietro,
Felipe Fregni
Affiliations
Anna Carolyna Gianlorenço
Neuromodulation Center and Center for Clinical Research Learning, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 1575 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA 02115, USA
Valton Costa
Neuromodulation Center and Center for Clinical Research Learning, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 1575 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA 02115, USA
Walter Fabris-Moraes
Neuromodulation Center and Center for Clinical Research Learning, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 1575 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA 02115, USA
Paulo Eduardo Portes Teixeira
Highland Instruments, Inc., Cambridge, MA 02238, USA
Paola Gonzalez
Neuromodulation Center and Center for Clinical Research Learning, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 1575 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA 02115, USA
Kevin Pacheco-Barrios
Neuromodulation Center and Center for Clinical Research Learning, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 1575 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA 02115, USA
Ciro Ramos-Estebanez
Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation, University of Illinois at Chicago, 912 S Wood St., MC 796, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
Arianna Di Stadio
Otolaryngology Unit, GF Ingrassia Department, University of Catania, 95121 Catania, Italy
Mirret M. El-Hagrassy
Neurology Department, UMass Memorial, UMass Chan Medical School, Suite #301, 67 Belmont St., Worcester, MA 01605, USA
Deniz Durok Camsari
Mayo Clinic, 200 1st St SW, Rochester, MN 55901, USA
Tim Wagner
Highland Instruments, Inc., Cambridge, MA 02238, USA
Laura Dipietro
Highland Instruments, Inc., Cambridge, MA 02238, USA
Felipe Fregni
Neuromodulation Center and Center for Clinical Research Learning, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 1575 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA 02115, USA
Background: This study aimed to explore the potential associations between voice metrics of patients with PD and their motor symptoms. Methods: Motor and vocal data including the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale part III (UPDRS-III), Harmonic–Noise Ratio (HNR), jitter, shimmer, and smoothed cepstral peak prominence (CPPS) were analyzed through exploratory correlations followed by univariate linear regression analyses. We employed these four voice metrics as independent variables and the total and sub-scores of the UPDRS-III as dependent variables. Results: Thirteen subjects were included, 76% males and 24% females, with a mean age of 62.9 ± 10.1 years, and a median Hoehn and Yahr stage of 2.3 ± 0.7. The regression analysis showed that CPPS is associated with posture (UPDRS-III posture scores: β = −0.196; F = 10.0; p = 0.01; R2 = 0.50) and UPDRS-III postural stability scores (β = −0.130; F = 5.57; p = 0.04; R2 = 0.35). Additionally, the associations between CPPS and rapid alternating movement (β = −0.297; p = 0.07), rigidity (β= −0.36; p = 0.11), and body bradykinesia (β = −0.16; p = 0.13) showed a trend towards significance. Conclusion: These findings highlight the potential role of CPPS as a predictor of postural impairments secondary to PD, emphasizing the need for further investigation.
