Comparing in-person and telehealth breathing and cough training for airway protection in Parkinson's disease

You may qualify if

• Diagnosed with PD (Hoehn and Yahr Stages II-IV)126,127 confirmed by a Movement Disorders fellowship trained neurologist having reviewed the video recorded Movement Disorders Society-Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) assessment for each participant and using strict UK brain bank criteria
• Airway protective deficits as defined as a minimum of penetration of thin liquids (penetration-aspiration score>3) as determined by instrumental swallowing assessment and/or dystussia as determined by voluntary cough assessment (PEFR ≤4.1 L/s)
• Not actively receiving exercise-based swallowing therapy
• Between the ages of 50 and 90.

You can't join if

• Other neurological disorders (e.g., multiple sclerosis, stroke, brain tumor, etc.)
• History of head and neck cancer
• History of breathing disorders or diseases (e.g., COPD)
• History of smoking in the last five years
• Uncontrolled hypertension
• Difficulty complying due to neuropsychological dysfunction (i.e., severe depression with >28 on the Beck Depression Index (BDI-II), dementia with <19 on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA))
• Allergy to capsaicin or barium
• Further than 1.5 hours (door to door) distance from either Teachers College, Columbia University or Purdue University.