Dystonia, Laryngeal Dystonia, Spasmodic Dysphonia, Tremor
Conditions
Brief summary
The goals of this project are 1) to determine the incidence of neurological voice disorders in patients with dystonia and essential tremor undergoing deep brain stimulation (DBS), 2) investigate the neuroimaging and intracranial neurophysiology correlates of voice dysfunction in these subjects, and subsequently 3) determine the effects of DBS on voice function.
Detailed description
Loss of voice control, which is critical for conveying effective spoken communication, is often a significant feature in patients with movement disorders, such as dystonia and essential tremor. Voice dysfunction, however, has been overshadowed clinically by a focus on limb motor symptoms. For example, deep brain stimulation (DBS) effectively reduces limb dystonia and tremor in these patients, but the modulation of voice symptoms by DBS has been vastly understudied. It is assumed that the production and modulation of voice are regulated by the basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical network in a loop architecture that is common to all motor behaviors. There is, however, little empirical data to inform our specific understanding of how voice function is encoded in basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical interactions. The overall goal of this research is to use a combination of invasive and non-invasive human neuroscience to improve our understanding of the incidence and neural correlates of neurological voice disorders (laryngeal dystonia and voice tremor) in patients with isolated dystonia and essential tremor undergoing DBS surgery. The investigators will use simultaneous electrocorticography (ECoG) and subcortical activity recording in dystonia and tremor patients who are awake and speaking during DBS implantation surgery. The results of this research will inform the development of strategies for closed-loop brain stimulation specifically to treat neurological voice dysfunction that can be tested in a subsequent clinical trial.
Interventions
PROCEDUREDeep Brain Stimulation
Clinically indicated DBS treatment for dystonia or tremor with simultaneous research electrocorticography (ECoG).
Sponsors
Massachusetts General Hospital
University of Utah
University of California, San Francisco
UMass Memorial Health
University of Iowa
Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary
Study design
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 80 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion 1. Clinical indications to proceed with DBS implantation, as determined by the clinical multidisciplinary movement disorders board, including: a) definitive diagnosis of essential tremor or dystonia, b) medically refractory disease, c) adequate performance on neuropsychological evaluation as determined by a licensed clinical neuropsychologist. 2. The ability to comply with test directions, complete pre-operative task training, and provide informed consent. 3. Age 18-80 years. Exclusion 1\. Inability to understand or perform the task outlined in the protocol during a pre-surgery training session. 2. Significant hearing loss. 3\. Cortical venous anatomy that could potentially obstruct ECoG electrode placement, as determined by the surgeon, visualized on pre-op MRI or during surgery.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Changes in standard clinical outcome for dystonia patients | 5 years | Quantitative measures of voice and motor changes following deep brain stimulation surgery using standard clinical criterion of Burk-Fahn-Marsden Dystonia Rating Scale where higher score means a worse outcome. |
| Correlations between brain signals and intraoperative voice and speech production performance. | 5 years | Analysis of intraoperative recordings from deep basal ganglia structures and cortical regions relevant to voice and speech control. |
| Changes in standard clinical outcome for tremor patients | 5 years | Quantitative measures of voice and motor changes following deep brain stimulation surgery using standard clinical criterion of Fahn-Tolosa-Marin Tremor Rating Scale where higher score means a worse outcome. |
Countries
United States
Contacts
Primary ContactKristina Simonyan, MD, PhD
Outcome results
None listed