Differentiating profiles of speech impairments in Friedreich's ataxia: a perceptual and instrumental approach

BACKGROUND:

The speech disorder associated with Friedreich's ataxia (FRDA) is classically described as ataxic dysarthria. However, variable neuropathology beyond the cerebellum, which may include the corticospinal and corticobulbar tracts, means that the dysarthria can be mixed rather than a pure ataxic dysarthria.

AIMS:

To characterize physiological features of the dysarthria associated with FRDA and identify differential patterns of deviation that may occur across the subsystems of the speech-production mechanism in a series of seven case studies.