Understanding the Voice Control System in Parkinson's Disease

描述（由申请人提供）：本提案描述了一个为期3年的研究转化项目计划，以获取可作为早期研究者随后提交研究项目拨款（R01）的试点数据。PI是一名语言科学家，在语音信号处理、情感韵律和韵律处理、声学建模和脑电图/ERP技术方面受过训练，目前在西北大学从事语音控制和运动语言障碍领域的博士后研究。她现在将把这些技能应用于帕金森病（PD）语音控制的神经机制建模。环境：西北大学传播科学与障碍系，一个研究型大学和系。作为一名博士后，她将住在导师的实验室里，可以使用空间、设备和世界知名科学家的网络。研究：本研究的长期目标是了解控制声音的神经机制，并将这些发现扩展到患有声音产生神经源性疾病的人。短期目标是确定PD患者声带控制受损的神经学基础，特别是通过检测异常的输出复制机制功能，建立潜在的神经回路模型，并将结果与健康对照组和弥漫性皮质损伤的临床组（“受损对照组”）进行比较。该项目的具体目标是：1)确定PD中语音源识别和错误检测/校正过程中的干扰复制的作用，并建立神经回路模型；2)确定音调扰动对意志F0调制和

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal describes a 3 year research translational project program to obtain data that can serve as pilot data in a subsequent submission for a research project grant (R01) by the early stage investigator. The PI is a speech scientist with training in speech signal processing, emotional prosody and prosodic processing, acoustic modeling, and EEG/ERP techniques and is currently working in the area of voice control and motor speech disorders as a postdoctoral fellow at Northwestern University. She will now apply these skills to modeling the neural mechanisms underlying voice control in Parkinson's disease (PD). Environment: The Communication Sciences and Disorders Department at Northwestern University, a research-intensive university and department. As a postdoctoral fellow, the PI will be housed in her mentor's laboratory and has access to space, equipment, and a network of world-renowned scientists. Research: The long-term goal of this research is to understand the neural mechanisms controlling the voice and to extend these findings to people with neurogenic disorders of voice production. The short-term objective is to identify the neurological substrates of impaired vocal control in PD, specifically by testing for abnormal function of the efference copy mechanisms, model the underlying neural circuitry, and compare the results with healthy controls and with a clinical group having diffuse cortical impairment ("impaired controls"). The Specific Aims of the project are: 1) Identify the role of efference copy during voice source identification and error detection/correction in PD and model the neural circuitry and 2) Identify effects of pitch perturbations on volitional F0 modulation and differences in the neural pathways and EEG microstate characteristics. In this experiment, the vocalizations and brain activity (EEG/ERP, microstates) of individuals with Parkinson's disease will be examined when given small perturbations to the auditory feedback of their voice, specifically for the purpose of examining the control system wherein an efference copy of the intended vocal output is compared with the actual sensory feedback. This behavioral-neurological measurement strategy in addition to the sophisticated neurological modeling proposed-including dynamic causal modeling, coherence analysis, and EEG microstate analysis-is a novel approach to examining motor control. Also, the neural mechanisms of voice control that contribute to the voice disorder in PD, including feed forward (fast and automatic control) and feedback control (slow and reliant on sensory feedback) will be defined using a highly innovative paradigm that requires subjects to dynamically change their voice pitch to follow (or shadow) or oppose a pitch shift. Our preliminary data in PD compared to young adults support our hypotheses and warrant further experimentation. The results of these experiments will significantly advance our understanding of auditory feedback on voice control and vocal impairments in PD.