Nasality in Friedreich ataxia

Abstract

Perceptual speech research in Friedreich ataxia (FRDA) has identified altered nasality as a key component of the dysarthria profile, however the incidence and severity of abnormal nasality remains unknown. Utilizing objective and perceptual methods, data on the relationship between resonance, disease duration, severity, age of onset and genetic profiles were collated. Thirty-seven participants with FRDA and 24 healthy controls provided contemporaneous speech samples for perceptual analysis, and single word samples for acoustic analysis. A subset of participants (eight participants with FRDA and eight controls) underwent nasometry assessment. Twenty-seven participants with FRDA presented with..