Tremor
Study
Acoustic and articulatory analysis of stimulation-induced dysarthria in patients with essential tremor and deep brain stimulation in the ventral intermediate nucleus (VIM)
Collaboration of HIU in the interdisciplinary project of the Department of Neurology at the University Hospital of Cologne and the Institute of Linguistics — Phonetics at the University of Cologne.
HIU's task in this interdisciplinary project is the investigation of speech-language pathology symptoms in patients with essential tremor. Speech therapy tests were conducted with both activated and deactivated brain stimulation to analyze the effects on speech. Of particular research interest are the impacts on breathing, voice quality, articulation, and patient intelligibility.
Mareike Scholz, a speech therapy student at HIU, seized the opportunity with great interest and personal commitment to participate in such a large-scale interdisciplinary research project. She conducted speech therapy patient assessments in Cologne for two weeks in September 2014.
"I chose the research project in Cologne to expand my practical experience not only in the speech therapy profession but also in the scientific field and to get to know the 'research routine'. It was very interesting to experience and help shape this routine. For me, the project in Cologne was a valuable time and showed me that studying speech therapy was the right decision. Because in the future, the scientific and research field should also be part of my professional career." — Mareike Scholz, student at HIU, Speech Therapy programme, fifth semester
Through the collaboration with neurologists and phoneticians, various tests from the three fields of neurology, experimental phonetics, and speech therapy were conducted, providing a comprehensive picture of the effects of deep brain stimulation on tremor, motor function, speech, and intelligibility. Based on these findings, conclusions can be drawn about the optimal stimulator settings necessary to enable the best possible quality of life for tremor patients.
Prof. Dr. phil. Mariam Hartinger
Institutions involved in the project
An interdisciplinary team from three institutions:
Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Cologne: Dr. Michael Barbe, Prof. Dr. Lars Timmermann, Johannes Becker
Institute of Linguistics — Phonetics, University of Cologne: Prof. Dr. Martine Grice, Dr. Doris Mücke, Dr. Anne Hermes
HIU Berlin: Prof. Dr. Mariam Hartinger, Mareike Scholz