VOCAL AND RESPIRATORY DIADOCOCINESIAS IN FRIEDREICHS ATAXIA AND THEIRNEUROPATHOLOGICAL CORRELATES

Acoustic analysis of unvoiced diadochokinetic respiratory cycles helpe d identify two kinds of impairments in ten Friedreich's ataxia patient s. Four patients manifested moderate problems maintaining regularity i n the repetition of unvoiced respiratory cycles, and also showed moder ate articulatory dysarthric problems in a syllabic repetition task. Si x patients had severe respiratory insufficiency in the inspiration/exp iration repetition task, and exhibited very important amplitude and fu ndamental frequency disturbances and a much slower rate of syllabic ut terances. This respiratory insufficiency and aggravated speech disorde rs were linked to presence of pontine and medullary atrophy, sites com prising the respiratory centers of the brain stem.