Objective: 1) To describe the evolution of speech in a large cohort of patients before and 1 year after STN-DBS. 2) To search for preoperative predictive factors of speech evolution.
Background: The effect of STN-DBS on speech disorders in Parkinson’s disease, although extensively studied, is still debated. This axial symptom of the disease seems to worsen rather in the post-operative period but the results are very heterogeneous. The aim of this study was to describe the clinical characteristics of speech following chronic STN-DBS and to analyze clinical and surgical factors that could predict speech change.
Method: Data from the MDS-UPDRS III.1 of 309 patients from the French national PHRC PREDISTIM were collected pre-operatively (V0) and at 1 year after surgery (V1).
We first compared the combined effect of medical treatment and surgery to baseline (score 1) and then compared the effect of DBS alone on speech quality (score 2).
The “speech evolution status” was created allowing to create 3 independent groups: group A for deterioration, B for stability and C for improvement, based on score 1 evolution. These 3 groups were compared for demographic, clinical variables at V0, and for DBS parameters measured at V1.
Results: No significant worsening in speech quality was observed based upon score 1 and 2 . Under therapeutic conditions (score 1), 208 (67%) patients had stable or improved speech, while only 101 (33%) had significant deterioration. Factors associated with speech quality deterioration were: intensity of the left electrode (p<0.001), shorter disease duration (p=0.024), severe motor experiences of daily life (p=0.048), and gender (men were less affected than women) (p=0.014).
Conclusion: This is the largest multicentric study on speech evaluation before and after STNDBS in Parkinson’s disease, and it seems that in most of the case speech quality is not affected by the surgery.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
T. Ollivier, S. Pinto, R. Viard, G. Kuchcinski, G. Touzet, L. Defebvre, D. Devos, C. Moreau. A French national multicentric prospective study of the 1-year impact of STN-DBS on speech in Parkinson’s disease: profile of progression and prognostic factors. [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2021; 36 (suppl 1). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/a-french-national-multicentric-prospective-study-of-the-1-year-impact-of-stn-dbs-on-speech-in-parkinsons-disease-profile-of-progression-and-prognostic-factors/. Accessed June 15, 2025.« Back to MDS Virtual Congress 2021
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/a-french-national-multicentric-prospective-study-of-the-1-year-impact-of-stn-dbs-on-speech-in-parkinsons-disease-profile-of-progression-and-prognostic-factors/