People with Parkinson鈥檚 Disease struggle with movements that used to be automatic. That includes walking, blinking and speaking. Today on Think, a speech-language pathologist talked to Krys Boyd about a North Texas program that鈥檚 helping Parkinson鈥檚 patients regain the ability to speak.
Samatha Elandary says problems for Parkinson鈥檚 patients start with a shortage of dopamine in the brain.
鈥淚n terms of the voice, they are breathing more shallowly," she said. "And when they do that, what ends up happening is their voice becomes very soft. And it can be raspy, and they鈥檙e not moving their tongue and lips as much, so their articulation is not as clear.鈥�
Elandary teaches participants in the to speak with intent.
鈥淪o when they use intent 鈥� they take deeper breaths, they increase their volume, they move their tongue and lips more so their articulation is better.鈥�
The results can be profound. Here鈥檚 a 75-year-old patient speaking with a therapist before treatment:
Here鈥檚 the same patient after completing the program.
Parkinson鈥檚 is one of the few neurological disorders that responds to exercise. That鈥檚 because the disease interrupts the connection to the muscles, but the muscles aren鈥檛 weakened. They just need to be retrained.
Think re-airs tonight at 9, or .
