Refining Cough Skill Training in Parkinson's Disease and Dysphagia

Status

Completed

Phases

Phase 1

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT05700838

Enrollment

Registered

2023-01-26

Start date

2022-09-21

Completion date

2023-06-28

Last updated

2024-04-11

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Dysphagia, Parkinson Disease

Brief summary

Airway protection deficits (cough and swallowing) are prevalent and pervasive in Parkinson's disease (PD), contributing to adverse health outcomes like pneumonia. This study aims to refine cough skill training by examining whether variable versus constant practice conditions improve cough outcomes in people with PD. In addition, this study will provide insight into optimal respiratory adaptations that occur during training to support cough effectiveness, resulting in immediately translatable treatments to improve airway protection-related health outcomes in people with neurodegenerative disease.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALCough Skill Training - with Variable Practice

Variable practice will involve three targets that reflect a range of cough airflows, including strong, moderate, and weak coughs.

Study design

Allocation

Intervention model

SINGLE_GROUP

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

40 Years to 90 Years

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

* 40 years of age or older * have dysphagia as documented by a penetration-aspiration score \> 2 on a flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing * have cough disorder as defined as a maximal voluntary cough peak flow \< 5 L/s * have no history of other neurological disorders, head and neck cancer, respiratory disease, smoking within 5 years, uncontrolled hypertension, or allergy to capsaicin (reflex cough stimulus)

Exclusion criteria

* unable to participate due to neuropsychological dysfunction (i.e., dementia with a score of \< 19 on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment) * actively participating in other cough or swallowing treatments

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Change in Peak Expiratory Flow Rate	Before to after two sessions of cough variable practice training over two weeks	Cough Strength

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Change in Respiratory Kinematics, specifically lung volume excursion	Before to after two sessions of cough variable practice training over two weeks

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026