title: Effect of speech therapy and pharmacological treatment in prosody of parkinsonians.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Parkinsonian patients usually present speech impairment. The aim of this study was to verify the influence of levodopa and of the adapted Lee Silverman Vocal Treatment® method on prosodic parameters employed by parkinsonian patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ten patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease using levodopa underwent recording of utterances produced in four stages: expressing attitudes of certainty and doubt and declarative and interrogative modalities. The sentences were recorded under the effect of levodopa (on), without the effect of levodopa (off); before and after speech therapy during the on and off periods.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The speech therapy and its association with drug treatment promoted the improvement of prosodic parameters: increase of fundamental frequency measures, reduction of measures of duration and greater intensity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The association of speech therapy to medication treatment is of great value in improving the communication of parkinsonian patients.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Fonoaudiologia, Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Luciana Lemos de
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Azevedo
authors.affiliation: Fala - Clínica e Consultoria em Saúde, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Irene Soares de
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Souza
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Patrícia Marques de
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Clínica Médica, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cardoso
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000978:Antiparkinson Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007980:Levodopa / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D013061:Speech Acoustics; D013064:Speech Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D013070:Speech Therapy; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000978:Antiparkinson Agents; D007980:Levodopa