Abstract
Although rehabilitative training is a necessary adjunct in the management of gait ataxia, it remains unknown whether the possible beneficial effect of intensive coordinative training may translate to activities of daily living, which are closely connected with postural alignment. The aim of the present study was to examine the effectiveness of a 2-week intensive coordinative motor training on speech production. Speech and motor performances in a cohort of ten individuals with cerebellar degeneration were examined three times; before the introduction of training, directly and 4 weeks after the last training session. Each patient was instructed to perform a speaking task of fast syllable repetition and monologue. Objective acoustic analyses were used to investigate six key aspects of speech production disturbed in ataxic dysarthria including accuracy of consonant articulation, accuracy of vowel articulation, irregular alternating motion rates, prolonged phonemes, slow alternating motion rates and inappropriate segmentation. We found that coordinative training had a mild beneficial effect on speech in cerebellar patients. Immediately after the last training session, slight speech improvements were evident in all ten patients. Furthermore, follow-up assessment performed 4 weeks later revealed that 90 % of the patients showed better speech performance than before initiation of the therapy. The present study supports evidence that the intensive rehabilitative training may positively affect fine-motor movements such as speech in patients with cerebellar ataxia.
References
Ilg W, Synofzik M, Brotz D et al (2009) Intensive coordinative training improves motor performance in degenerative cerebellar disease. Neurology 73:1823–1830
Ilg W, Brotz D, Burkard S et al (2010) Long-term effects of coordinative training in degenerative cerebellar disease. Mov Disord 25:2239–2246
Miyai I, Ito M, Hattori N et al (2012) Cerebellar ataxia rehabilitation trail in degenerative cerebellar diseases. Neurorehab Neural Re 26:515–522
Novotny M, Rusz J, Cmejla R, Ruzicka E (2014) Automatic evaluation of articulatory disorders in Parkinson’s disease. IEEE/ACM Trans Audio Speech Lang Process 22:1366–1378
Steffen T, Seney M (2008) Test-retest reliability and minimal detectable change on balance and ambulation tests, the 36-item short-form health survey, and the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale in people with parkinsonism. Phys Ther 88:733–746
Staes FF, Jansen L, Vilette A et al (2011) Physical therapy as a means to optimize posture and voice parameters in student classical singers: a case report. J Voice 25:e91–e101
Nacci A, Fattori B, Mancini V et al (2011) Posturographic analysis in patients with dysfunctional dysphonia before and after speech therapy/rehabilitation treatment. Acta Otorhinolaryngol 32:115–121
Ludlow CL, Hoit J, Kent R et al (2008) Translating principles of neural plasticity into research on speech motor control recovery and rehabilitation. J Speech Lang Hear R 51:S240–S258
Sharkawi AE, Ramig L, Logemann J et al (2002) Swallowing and voice effects of Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT®): a pilot study. J Neurol Neurosur PS 72:31–36
Peacock WJ, Arens LJ (1982) Selective posterior rhizotomy for the relief of spasticity in cerebral palsy. S Afr Med J 62:119–212
Acknowledgments
The authors thank to Aaron Rulseh for his thoughtful English correction. The study was supported by the Czech Science Foundation (GACR 102/12/2230) and Charles University in Prague (GA UK No. 802514).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Electronic supplementary material
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Tykalova, T., Pospisilova, M., Cmejla, R. et al. Speech changes after coordinative training in patients with cerebellar ataxia: a pilot study. Neurol Sci 37, 293–296 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-015-2379-7
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-015-2379-7