SAMI Home People Journal Club Links Available positions Research Publications Projects Software Databases Teaching Courses Projects Supported by Grants Currently solved Investigating evolution of speech disorder in Parkinson's disease via objective acoustic analysis J. Rusz (2024 - 2027) Czech Ministry of Health: NW24-04-00211 FIS ID: 2512401C000 Without validated biomarkers, there is no way to identify people at risk for Parkinson’s disease (PD) or to establish strategies for its prevention. Speech is highly susceptible to neurodegeneration. Tracking speech disorder via objective acoustic analysis might have an intriguing potential as a preclinical diagnostic and progressive biomarker of PD. However, the current evidence rely on cross-sectional evidence comparing speech performance in PD and controls. This project aims to discover for the first time evolution of speech disorder in PD from prodromal stages of disease to first 5 years of disease duration. Another aim is to establish phenotype-based predictors of motor and cognitive impairment, dysarthria deterioration and stuttering-like behaviour in PD. Understanding the evolution of various speech patterns from prodromal to more advanced stages of disease (EVOLSPEECH-PD) would have a very high potential to revolutionize the diagnostic process of PD and provide a robust biomarker of disease progression. The results of this project will have unique chance to bolster the translation of speech biomarkers into clinical trials. Video analysis of hypomimia in Parkinson's disease and other synucleinopathies M. Novotny (2023 - 2026) Czech Ministry of Health: NU23J-04-00042 FIS ID: 2512301C000 Currently, no sufficiently accurate diagnostic or progressive biomarker of alfa-synucleinopathy (aSYN) is available that would allow early intervention to prevent the disease progression with potential neuroprotective therapies. Disruption or complete loss of spontaneous and deliberate facial movements, termed hypomimia, is a common motor manifestation of aSYN diseases such as Parkinson's disease (PD) or multiple system atrophy (MSA). Hypomimia is considered one of the earliest PD motor manifestations, developing up to 10 years before the clinical diagnosis. Even though hypomimia is a hallmark of PD, objective, precise, robust and easily interpretable tools to capture the disruption of facial movements are lacking. The current gold standard for hypomimia evaluation is a perceptual assessment based on a subjective, very simple 5-point rating scale, not allowing for a more detailed description of separate hypomimia aspects. The goal of this project is to develop and validate a robust objective tool for video analysis of facial expressivity in recordings of spontaneous speech and posed grimacing, sufficiently sensitive to detect (i) hypomimia in patients with REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD, a special case of prodromal aSYN), (ii) potential effects of short- and longterm dopaminergic medication on hypomimia in early PD, and (iii) differences in particular hypomimia patterns and its severity in parkinsonian variant of MSA compared to PD. Automated hypomimia analysis can become the important tool to recognize neurodegeneration in its earliest stage allowing for early initiation of an effective therapy once available. The hypomimia markers may also help to monitor different phenotype characteristics, disorder severity, and the pharmacological therapy effect. Moreover, better understanding of processes underlying hypomimia is essential for the correct choice of therapy aimed at alleviation of facial expressivity loss with significant impact on quality of patients’ life. National institute for Neurological Research J. Rusz (2022 - 2025) Programme EXCELES, funded by the European Union – Next Generation EU: LX22NPO5107 FIS ID: 122/1662201C000/13131 In connection with the dramatically increasing average age of the population and the worldwide increase in the occurrence of neurological, and especially neurodegenerative diseases, with still unclear etiology and pathogenesis, and non-existent preventive or causal therapy, the urgent need for their focused research is increasing. This imperative is all the more significant as the health and economic impact on our society will be enormous in the coming decades. Therefore, the development of the necessary components of neurodegeneration research in the areas of clinical, imaging, electrophysiological, molecular genetic, biochemical and neuropathological markers, etiopathogenetic mechanisms and experimental therapies is clearly necessary. Reducing speech-related side-effects of deep brain stimulation in Parkinson's Disease via automated speech analysis J. Rusz (2021 - 2023) Czech Science Foundation: 21-14216L FIS ID: 301-3012102C000-13131 Deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus (STN-DBS) is an effective treatment of motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (PD), but its effects on speech are equivocal. Although some aspects of speech might improve with STN-DBS, stimulation-induced dysarthria represents the most common side effect, with a prevalence of up to 90%. The human ear has very limited capacities in the qualitative and quantitative evaluation of speech. Thus improvement of STN-DBS induced dysarthria is still an unmet need. New methods of automated speech assessment based on acoustic analysis and machine-learning algorithms have quantified subtle speech alterations and distinguished different types of dysarthria. Systematic implementation of automated speech analysis would facilitate not only time-consuming postoperative management but also improve overall outcomes of STN-DBS and thus. The results of this project will provide the first step towards fully automatized closed-loop DBS based on speech as a biomarker, allowing to improve outcomes of DBS and quality of life in PD patients in the near future. Smart Speech Biomarkers for Parkinson’s Disease and Other Synucleinopathies J. Rusz (2020 - 2023) Czech Ministry of Health: NU20-08-00445 FIS ID: 13131/251/2512001C000 The early recognition of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and other synucleinopathies in prodromal stages has crucial implications for the future development of neuroprotective therapy. With no validated diagnostic biomarker, there is no way to identify people at risk for PD or to establish strategies for the prevention of PD. Speech is highly susceptible to neurodegeneration. This project aims to discover for the first time preclinical stages of PD in “at high risk” patients with REM sleep behavior disorder based on longitudinal speech monitoring through regular smartphone calls in a naturalistic environment and high-end pattern analysis. Developed complex system based on speech assesment (SMARTSPEECH) would have very high potential to revolutionize the diagnostic process in PD and provide robust biomarker of disease progression. Quick, inexpensive, and non-invasive vocal assessment by smartphone may result in faster implementation of treatment strategies and bolster early presymptomatic diagnosis of synucleinopathy allowing rapid access to neuroprotective therapy once it will be available. Former/Finished Objective investigation of distinct speech phenotypes in newly diagnosed Parkinson's disease including effects of pharmacotherapy T. Tykalová (2019 - 2022) Czech Ministry of Health: NV19-04-00120 FIS ID: 13131/252/2521901C000 Population standard of acoustic-phonetic characteristics in children's speech R. Čmejla (2019 - 2021) Czech Science Foundation: 19-20887S Automatic acoustic speech analysis and REM sleep behaviour disorder for detecting subjects at high risk for Parkinson's disease and other alpha-synucleinopathies J. Rusz (2017 - 2021) Michael J Fox Foundation (MJFF): 12546 [MJFF link][Project info] FIS ID: 6611701C000 Biological Signals and Their Processing J. Rusz (2020 - 2022) Grant Agency of the Czech Technical University in Prague: SGS20/168/OHK3/3T/13 FIS ID: TBC R. Čmejla (2017 - 2020) Význam funkční a strukturální reorganizace mozkových sítí v patogenezi kognitivního deficitu a epilepsie po cévní mozkové příhodě Czech Ministry of Health: NV17-28427A R. Čmejla (2018 - 2019) Analysis and processing of bio-signals for diagnostics of neurological disruptions Grant Agency of the Czech Technical University in Prague SGS18/137/OHK3/2T/13 R. Čmejla (2016 - 2018) Age-related changes in acoustic characteristics of adult speech Czech Science Foundation GACR 16-19975S J. Rusz (2016 - 2018) Investigation of pathomechanisms responsible for speech and voice disorders in multiple sclerosis using new methods of objective acoustic analysis Czech Science Foundation GACR 16-03322S J. Rusz & R. Čmejla (2015 - 2018) Speech disorders and analysis of their mechanism in Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders Czech Ministry of Health AZV ČR 15-28038A R. Čmejla (2015 - 2018) Analýza funkční organizace epileptogenních sítí s využitím teorie grafů: význam pro předoperační diagnostiku pacientů s neokortikální epilepsií Czech Ministry of Health AZV ČR 15-29835A R. Janča (2015 - 2018) Prevence motorických deficitů po epileptochirurgických výkonech u dětí Czech Ministry of Health AZV ČR 15-30456A R. Čmejla (2015-2017) Analysis and Processing of Biological Signals Grant Agency of the Czech Technical University SGS15/198/OHK3/3T/13 J. Rusz (2015-2017) Acoustic Analyses and Processing of Speech Signals in Patients with Central Nervous System Disorders Grant Agency of the Czech Technical University SGS15/199/OHK3/3T/13 R. Čmejla (2014-2016) Large-scale dynamics and critical transitions in neuronal networks and their role in limbic seizure genesis Czech Science Foundation GAČR R. Čmejla (2013-2015) Understanding of functional organization of temporal lobe epilepsy neuronal networks Czech Ministry of Health NT14489 R. Čmejla (2012-2015) Acoustic Voice and Speech Analysis in Patients with Central Nervous System Disorders Czech Science Foundation GAČR 102/12/2230 R. Čmejla (2013-2014) Biological Signals Analysis and Processing Grant Agency of the Czech Technical University SGS13/138/OHK3/2T/13 J. Rusz (2012-2014) Acoustic Analyses and New Evaluation Methods for Objectification of Voice and Speech Disorders in Neurological Illnesses Grant Agency of the Czech Technical University SGS 12/185/OHK4/3T/13 R. Čmejla (2010 - 2013) Intracranial EEG signal processing; epileptogenic zone identification in non-lesional refractory epilepsy patients Czech Ministry of Health NT11460-4/2010 J. Rusz (2011) Complex measurement of lung ventilation Czech Ministry of Education FRV G3 328 R. Čmejla (2010-2011) Analysis of intracranial EEG recording Grant Agency of the Czech Technical University SGS10/272/OHK4/3T/13 J. Rusz (2010 - 2011) Assesment of voice and speech impairment Grant Agency of the Czech Technical University SGS 10/180/OHK3/2T/13 D. Špulák (2010-2011) Analysis of signals induced by mechanical activity of heart Grant Agency of the Czech Technical University SGS 10/273/OHK3/3T/13 R. Čmejla (2010) Voice and audio signal analysis Czech Ministry of Education FRV F3a 316 R. Čmejla (2008 - 2011) Analysis and Modelling Biomedical and Speech Signals Czech Science Foundation GAČR GD102/08/H008 Contact: Czech Technical University in Prague, Faculty of Electrical Engineering Department of Circuit Theory Technicka 2, 166 27 Prague 6, Czech Republic Phone: +420 2435 2236, e-mail: cmejla at fel.cvut.cz