---
title: Improve speech clarity with feedback
nct_id: NCT06540989
phase: EARLY_PHASE1
status: RECRUITING
sponsor: Teachers College, Columbia University
study_type: INTERVENTIONAL
canonical_url: "https://parkinsonspathways.com/trial/NCT06540989"
clinicaltrials_gov: "https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06540989"
last_fetched: "2026-05-10T14:06:21.845Z"
source: "Parkinson's Pathways (curated)"
---
# Improve speech clarity with feedback

**Goal (in five words):** Improve speech clarity with feedback

**Official Title:** Understand Me for Life: Using Noise-augmented Automatic Speech Recognition to Improve Intelligibility in Parkinson's Disease

**Trial ID:** [NCT06540989](https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06540989)

## Key Facts

- **Phase:** EARLY_PHASE1
- **Status:** RECRUITING
- **Study Type:** INTERVENTIONAL
- **Sponsor:** Teachers College, Columbia University
- **Target Enrollment:** 42 participants
- **Start Date:** 2024-09-01
- **Completion Date:** 2026-01-31
- **Conditions:** Parkinson Disease
- **Interventions:** Immediate treatment, Deferred treatment
- **Intervention Types:** BEHAVIORAL

## Summary For Families

Understand Me for Life aims to make everyday speech clearer for people with Parkinson's who have mild to moderate trouble being understood, so conversations feel less tiring and more effective. It uses an automatic speech recognition system trained with noise-augmented audio to objectively measure intelligibility and give real-time feedback, helping participants practice louder, clearer articulation and better pacing; some start the program right away and others start later so outcomes can be compared. The trial is looking for people 50 to 80 years old with Parkinson's at Hoehn and Yahr stages I to IV, stable antiparkinsonian meds, a Mini‑Mental State Exam score of 25 or higher, and mild to moderate dysarthria. People with atypical parkinsonism, deep brain stimulation, recent intensive voice therapy, or unrelated speech or voice disorders are not eligible.

## Eligibility

- **Minimum age:** 50 Years
- **Maximum age:** 80 Years
- **Sex:** ALL

### Full Criteria

```
Inclusion Criteria:

* Participants will qualify for the study if:

  * They are 50-80 years old,
  * They have a medical diagnosis of PD,
  * They are within stages I-IV of Hoehn \& Yahr Scale,
  * Their antiparkinsonian medication schedule is stable,
  * They present with mild to moderate dysarthria,
  * They score ≥ 25 in the MMSE,
  * They score ≤ 24 in the BDI-III.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Participants will be excluded from the study if they:

  * Present with atypical parkinsonism at the time of screening (or other neurological condition),
  * Underwent neurosurgery treatment (DBS),
  * Received intensive voice-focused treatment less than three months prior to their involvement in the current study,
  * Present with any speech or voice pathology that is unrelated to PD.
```

## Locations (1)

- Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States _(40.7143, -74.0060)_
  - Gemma Moya-Galé, Ph.D. — (CONTACT) — 212-678-3323 — gm2446@tc.columbia.edu

## Central Contacts

- Gemma Moya-Galé, Ph.D. — (CONTACT) — 212-678-3323 — gm2446@tc.columbia.edu

---

*Canonical: https://parkinsonspathways.com/trial/NCT06540989*  
*HTML version: https://parkinsonspathways.com/trial/NCT06540989*  
*Source data: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06540989*