Journal of Parkinson's disease
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Although earlier studies reported variable speech changes following subthalamic nucleus (STN) deep brain stimulation (DBS) in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients, the effects of globus pallidus internus (GPi) DBS on speech performance in PD remain largely unknown. ⋯ Bilateral GPi-DBS worsened several modalities of parkinsonian speech without compromising overall speech intelligibility. GPi-DBS can potentially worsen or induce hypokinetic dysarthria, stuttering, spastic dysarthria, or ataxic dysarthria. GPi-DBS may have different and variable effects on speech function when compared to STN-DBS.
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The COVID-19 pandemic has driven rapid, widespread adoption of telemedicine. The distribution of clinicians, long travel distances, and disability all limit access to care, especially for persons with Parkinson's disease. Telemedicine is not a panacea for all of these challenges but does offer advantages. ⋯ Along with these new care models, digital therapeutics, defined as treatments delivered through software programs, are emerging. Telemedicine is now being introduced as a bridge to restart clinical trials and will increasingly become a normal part of future research studies. From this pandemic will be a wealth of new telemedicine approaches which will fundamentally change and improve care as well as research for individuals with Parkinson's disease.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Feasibility, Reliability, and Value of Remote Video-Based Trial Visits in Parkinson's Disease.
There is rising interest in remote clinical trial assessments, particularly in the setting of the COVID-19 pandemic. ⋯ Remote visits are feasible and reliable in a phase III clinical trial of individuals with early, untreated Parkinson's disease. These visits are shorter, reduce participant burden, and enable safe conduct of research visits, which is especially important in the COVID-19 pandemic.