Michelle Ciucci, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, received a $3.2 million NIH R01 grant for her project, “Preclinical trial for dysarthria treatment in Parkinson disease,” beginning this December.
Parkinson disease causes significant communication problems that negatively affect quality of life, but there are few viable treatment options. Additionally, the underlying disease pathology mediating these deficits, including the neurotransmitter norepinephrine, is not well understood. The primary outcomes of this research will assess costs and benefits of treatments for communication and its associated behaviors (cognition, affect) and quantify the contribution of norepinephrine as a viable target to treat these refractory deficits.
Congratulations, Dr. Ciucci!