Speech Learning and Speech Production in Parkinson's Disease

February 4, 2026 updated by: Mishaela DiNino, State University of New York at Buffalo

Relationship Between Speech Perceptual Learning and Speech Production in Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's disease, a common movement disorder that results from a breakdown in the brain, often leads to challenges with talking, but less is known about the relationship between difficulties with talking and difficulties with learning to understand speech. By linking these two abilities in individuals with Parkinson's disease using a precision medicine approach, this project seeks to build a basis for new therapies that help people with Parkinson's disease both understand better and speak more clearly.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

In the context of speech-language therapy, Parkinson's disease (PD) is typically associated with its consequences on speech production. Interventions generally focus on learning or relearning skills to accomplish successful production. However, the disease itself, as well as patient responses to interventions, are variable. Individuals differ widely in how typical their speech output is before intervention and in how much they learn from treatment. One plausible explanation for this variation comes from a less-studied aspect of speech and language in PD: speech perception, especially speech perceptual learning. There is a key gap in the PD literature about whether people who produce atypical rate and intensity properties in their own speech also find it more difficult to learn rate and intensity properties from others' speech. There is, therefore, a critical need for a full understanding of the relationship between speech production and speech perceptual learning in PD. The long- term goal of this research program is to systematically interrogate the relationship between speech learning and production in people with PD and to leverage that knowledge to promote effective communication. The overall objective of this project is to use acoustic measures to determine how challenges with speech perception or learning can predict individual differences in speech production. The central hypothesis is that individual differences between people with PD in speech perception or learning can predict individual differences between people with PD in speech production. This project adopts an individual differences approach to investigate two major aims: (1) relating individual differences in the perceptual learning of speech rate to the production of speech rate, and (2) relating individual differences in the perceptual learning of intensity to the production of intensity. To investigate these aims, each participant will record a speech sample and conduct tasks that involve learning regularities in rate or intensity in the speech of others. Participants will also complete tasks that require the ability to distinguish between sentences based on their rate and intensity. Participants' speech samples will additionally be judged by naive listeners to assess the samples' intelligibility and the effort that it takes to understand the speakers. If individual differences in perceptual learning predict individual differences in production, then differences in speech perception may predict differences in speech-language therapy outcomes that could be targeted to patient needs. A precision medicine approach would allow for interventions that titrate the amount, level, and type of intervention on an individualized basis to make sure that treatments are focused on participants who will respond to them in dosages that they will benefit from. For instance, a therapist could provide speech perception training to accelerate outcomes of production-related treatments. Furthermore, by applying more naturalistic measures of speech perception to this population, especially ones that rely on participants to change over the course of a session, this project provides an innovative opportunity to examine the sensory and perceptual consequences of PD and to link those to better-documented motor outcomes

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
50

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • New York
      • Buffalo, New York, United States, 14214
        • Recruiting
        • State University of New York at Buffalo
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Diagnosis of Parkinson's disease
  • Native speaker of North American English
  • Use a drug that includes levodopa
  • Resident of the United States

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Any history of language, hearing or speech disorder outside of Parkinson's disease
  • Other gross neurological impairment such as Alzheimer's disease or stroke
  • Significant hearing loss and/or use of a hearing aid or cochlear implant

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Basic Science
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Learning and Discrimination
Behavioral interventions will be administered, including speech intensity learning, speech intensity discrimination, speech rate learning, and speech rate discrimination
Behavioral: Intensity learning
Participants will be asked to pair sentences that vary in their sound intensity to one of three colored squares (red, yellow, or blue)
Behavioral: Intensity discrimination
Participants will hear two sentences that are either the same or different in their sound intensity and will be asked to indicate whether the sentences were of the same or different intensities
Behavioral: Rate learning
Participants will be asked to pair sentences that vary in their spoken rate to one of three colored squares (red, yellow, or blue)
Behavioral: Rate discrimination
Participants will hear two sentences that are either the same or different in their spoken rate and will be asked to indicate whether the sentences were of the same or different rates

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Mean dB SPL
Time Frame: Day 1
The mean speech intensity (in dB SPL) will be assessed using a recording of spoken sentences and a spoken paragraph.
Day 1
Standard deviation dB SPL
Time Frame: Day 1
The standard deviation of participant's speech intensity (in dB SPL) will be assessed using a recording of spoken sentences and a spoken paragraph.
Day 1
Speaking rate
Time Frame: Day 1
The speaking rate (in syllables/second) will be assessed using a recording of spoken sentences and a spoken paragraph.
Day 1
Articulation rate
Time Frame: Day 1
The articulation rate (in syllables/second after removing pauses) will be assessed using a recording of spoken sentences and a spoken paragraph.
Day 1
Unfilled pause time
Time Frame: Day 1
The unfilled pause time (in seconds of pause) will be assessed using a recording of spoken sentences and a spoken paragraph.
Day 1

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
State University of New York at Buffalo

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
January 27, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
December 31, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 31, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
January 27, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
February 4, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
February 11, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
February 11, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
February 4, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • STUDY00008661

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

Deidentified speech perception and speech production data from individual participants

IPD Sharing Time Frame

Information will be available at the conclusion of data collection and will be available indefinitely

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

Data and supporting material will be available on the Open Science Framework, a database that is open to the general public

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • SAP

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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