Orofacial Somatosensory Changes in Parkinson's Disease (PDF)
Open Access
- Author:
- Kaulius, Margaret Love
- Area of Honors:
- Communication Sciences and Disorders
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Science
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Dr. Nicole Michele Etter, Thesis Supervisor
Dr. Carol Anne Miller, Thesis Honors Advisor - Keywords:
- Orofacial Somatosensation
Parkinsons Disease
Dysarthria
Von Frey Monofilaments
Two Point Discrimination - Abstract:
- There are a variety of sensory and motor deficits associated with Parkinson’s disease (PD). One notable speech symptom is dystharia, which impacts the muscle coordination necessary for speech production. Currently, diagnosis and treatment largely focuses on the motor aspects of speech deficits and is lacking a full appreciation of somatosensory aspects. The purpose of this study is to identify changes in orofacial touch sensation in PD. The differences in sensation might influence the skills in speech and swallowing of people with PD. One 66-year-old participant with Parkinson’s disease and one 67-year-old healthy control were recruited. Participants completed pure-tone hearing thresholds, self-reported basic health information, and provided a speech sample. They were assessed bilaterally on the lips and tongue using 2-point discrimination discs and Von Frey Hair monofilaments for detection and discrimination threshold estimates. The participant with PD displayed lower levels of sensation on all 3 tests, for all body locations tested. The only exception was 2-point discrimination on the right lip. These findings support the hypothesis of the study and can be used for further analysis of orofacial somatosensory changes associated with PD. Future research should focus on speech therapy techniques to accommodate individuals with decreased orofacial somatosensation in order to create a better quality of life for individuals with disease.