A Preliminary Look Into the Clinical Evolution of Motor Speech Characteristics in Primary Progressive Apraxia of Speech in Quebec French

Purpose: This study aimed to track changes in acoustical and perceptual features of motor speech in patients with phonetic and prosodic primary progressive apraxia of speech (PPAOS) in Quebec French over an 18-month period. Method: A prospective multiple-case series with multiple testing periods, including four participants with a diagnosis of PPAOS, was conducted. Participants were 0.5-4 years postonset of disease at baseline. They underwent comprehensive motor speech and language assessments and cognitive screening every 6 months for up to 18 months. Acoustical and perceptual analyses of motor speech were conducted. Results: Results showed a considerable impairment in motor speech abilities for patients with PPAOS at all time points and a significant decrease in performance for almost all articulatory and prosodic measures over time. Passage reading and diadochokinesis seemed particularly promising for the tracking of changes in PPAOS motor speech characteristics and PPAOS classification. Quantifying length of speech runs made it possible to distinguish phonetic from prosodic PPAOS. Finally, the patients who evolved to phonetic PPAOS developed aphasia, and the two with prosodic PPAOS showed greater motor symptoms such as unequivocal dysarthria. Conclusion: This study extends the growing literature on PPAOS and its subtypes by describing specific changes in articulatory and prosodic abilities over a period of at least 6 months, which are important for the diagnosis and management of PPAOS.

Automated summary

This study tracked changes in motor speech of patients with PPAOS over an 18-month period, finding significant impairment in speech abilities and decreases in articulatory and prosodic measures over time. Passage reading and diadochokinesis were particularly promising for tracking these changes. Quantifying speech run length helped distinguish different types of PPAOS.