Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · 1970 · 36 citations · 7 references
MedicineNeurologyPharmacotherapyClinical PharmacologyNeuropharmacologyPsychopharmacologyDopaminergic PharmacologyMotor Speech DisordersNeurodegenerative Disease PharmacotherapyParkinson DiseaseParkinsonian DisordersSpeech RehabilitationParkinson's Disease PharmacotherapyParkinsonian Speech DisordersParkinson’s Disease PharmacotherapyParkinson’s Disease TreatmentStatistical Significance Testing
A bstract : In the few reported studies on the effects of drug therapy on the speech symptoms of patients with Parkinson's disease, the conclusion generally has been that medication does not improve speech. Recent studies on the drug, L‐dopa, indicate that large doses reduce the severity of physical signs and symptoms. In this investigation, the speech of 21 parkinsonian patients was evaluated under various conditions of L‐dopa therapy. Although statistical significance was obtained for only one aspect (the time factor) of speech in favor of improvement during maximal dosage (4–8 gm daily), there appeared to be a trend in the direction of improved speech during L‐dopa therapy. These findings are not nearly as dramatic as the improvement in physical symptoms observed in the same patients. However, the speech changes all occurred within less than one month; greater changes might have been observed had the patients been followed for a longer period with maximal dosage.
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