Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41805906›Full record

ArticleJournal of neurology2026

Development and validation of the dysarthria impact scale: a patient-reported outcome for motor speech disorders.

Adam P Vogel, Lisa Graf, Merit Weiß, Cheuk S J Chan, Graham Hepworth, Matthis Synofzik

Abstract readMulticenter StudyValidation Study
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of neurology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Adam P VogelDepartment of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Hertie-Institute for Clinical Brain Research and Center of Neurology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany. vogela@unimelb.edu.au.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3505-2631
Lisa GrafDepartment of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Hertie-Institute for Clinical Brain Research and Center of Neurology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
Merit WeißDepartment of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Hertie-Institute for Clinical Brain Research and Center of Neurology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
Cheuk S J ChanSpeech Pathology, School of Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
Graham HepworthStatistical Consulting Centre, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
Matthis SynofzikDepartment of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Hertie-Institute for Clinical Brain Research and Center of Neurology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2280-7273

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundImpaired speech due to dysarthria significantly impacts quality of life. Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) offer critical insight into the lived experience of communication disability and are central to regulatory frameworks for patient-focused drug development.

objectivesTo develop and validate the Dysarthria Impact Scale (DIS), a brief PRO designed to assess the impact of motor speech disorders on quality of life across neurological conditions.

methodsA multi-site, cross-sectional study was conducted with 244 participants, including individuals with Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease, hereditary ataxias, and head and neck cancer, and healthy controls. The 22-item DIS was developed using expert input and patient feedback and evaluated alongside reference tools (Voice Handicap Index and SF-36). Item reduction procedures yielded two shorter versions (DIS-17 and DIS-6). Validity, reliability, and sensitivity/specificity analyses were performed, and minimal clinically important differences (MCIDs) were estimated using distribution-based methods.

resultsAll DIS versions showed strong convergent validity with the VHI (r = -0.85) and SF-36 (r = 0.72) and were correlated with blinded perceptual speech ratings. DIS-17 and DIS-6 achieved comparable sensitivity (0.93 and 0.88) and specificity (0.84 and 0.86, respectively). Test-retest reliability was high (r = 0.98), with estimated MCIDs and within-subject variability provided. Group differences were observed, with lower DIS scores in ataxia and Parkinson's disease compared to Huntington's disease.

conclusionsThe DIS is a valid, reliable, and practical PRO for quantifying the impact of dysarthria on quality of life. Longitudinal responsiveness remains to be established.

Indexed as

DysarthriaPatient Reported Outcome MeasuresAdultAgedCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedQuality of LifeReproducibility of ResultsSensitivity and SpecificitySeverity of Illness IndexClinical trialsDysarthriaPatient-reported outcomeQuestionnaireSpeechSurvey

Identifiers

PMID41805906
PMCPMC12975812

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.