SAMI Home People Journal Club Links Available positions Research Publications Projects Software Databases Teaching Courses Projects Supported by Grants Currently solved Inteligentní multimodální řečové biomarkery pro detekci aktivity onemocnění u roztroušené sklerózy v reálném prostředí (SmartBioMS) J. Rusz (2025 - 2027) Czech Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports: LL2504 FIS ID: 13131/155/1552501C000 Analýza brzkých fází poruch bazálních ganglií podle multimodálních metod umělé inteligence na rozpoznání řečových emocí V. Illner (2026 - 2029) Czech Ministry of Healt: NW26J-04-00132 FIS ID: TBC TBC Exploring the impact of somatic expansion rates on quantitative progression marker candidates (Voice) in early stages of repeat expansion disorders (EXPAND-RED) J. Rusz (2025 - 2028) Czech Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports: ID No 9F25002 FIS ID: 13131/167/1672501C000 The project aims to advance the measurability of disease progression at early stages of neurodegenerative diseases. In order to unequivocally identify patients in early and even pre-symptomatic stages, we selected genetic neurodegenerative disorders with high penetrance. We will focus on repeat expansion disorders (REDs), characterized by dynamic expansion mutations. Prior studies suggest that quantitative measurements are essential to detect subtle change reliably and determine change rates. Subtle speech impairment develops in the prodromal stages of REDs prior to the emergence of diagnostic motor signs. Therefore, quantitative analysis of speech alterations may represent an excellent candidate as a state and progression biomarker in several neurodegenerative disorders. Acoustic speech analysi is a reliable and sensitive method that objectively determines the degree of speech impairment. The study will define target acoustic parameters (TAPs) as potential state and progression biomarkers. The project aims to investigate speech changes in pre-symptomatic, prodromal, and manifested patients and their correlation to other quantitative motor measures of disease severity. Diagnostic and progressive potential of speech dual-tasking in basal ganglia disorders: evidence from Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease T. Tykalová (2025 - 2028) Czech Ministry of Health: NW25-04-00052 FIS ID: 13131/251/2512501C000 Speech and language impairment are one of the most common symptoms developing in up to 90% of patients with basal ganglia disorders such as Parkinson's disease (PD) and Huntington's disease (HD). Speech impairment can occur since the prodromal stages and becomes more severe as the disease progresses, potentially resulting in loss of functional communication and social isolation. To this extent, objective speech analyses have very promising potential as diagnostic, prognostic and progressive biomarker. However, we hypothesize that diagnostic and progressive potential of speech and language biomarkers can be vastly improved using speech dual-task model. Therefore, we aim to test the effect of concurrent manual task performance on spontaneous speech quality in isolated rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder (i.e., special case of prodromal PD), early PD, and pre-manifest to manifest HD. Two types of concurrent motor tasks will be tested including finger tapping and circle-drawing. A narration of a fairy tale will represent the spontaneous speech. Investigation of speech dual-tasking in prodromal and early stages has a unique opportunity to significantly contribute to early diagnosis of PD and HD onset as well as understanding the pathophysiology of speech impairment with the imminent application of gained knowledge into clinical practice. Investigating evolution of speech disorder in Parkinson's disease via objective acoustic analysis J. Rusz (2024 - 2027) Czech Ministry of Health: NW24-04-00211 FIS ID: 2512401C000 Without validated biomarkers, there is no way to identify people at risk for Parkinson’s disease (PD) or to establish strategies for its prevention. Speech is highly susceptible to neurodegeneration. Tracking speech disorder via objective acoustic analysis might have an intriguing potential as a preclinical diagnostic and progressive biomarker of PD. However, the current evidence rely on cross-sectional evidence comparing speech performance in PD and controls. This project aims to discover for the first time evolution of speech disorder in PD from prodromal stages of disease to first 5 years of disease duration. Another aim is to establish phenotype-based predictors of motor and cognitive impairment, dysarthria deterioration and stuttering-like behaviour in PD. Understanding the evolution of various speech patterns from prodromal to more advanced stages of disease (EVOLSPEECH-PD) would have a very high potential to revolutionize the diagnostic process of PD and provide a robust biomarker of disease progression. The results of this project will have unique chance to bolster the translation of speech biomarkers into clinical trials. Video analysis of hypomimia in Parkinson's disease and other synucleinopathies M. Novotny (2023 - 2026) Czech Ministry of Health: NU23J-04-00042 FIS ID: 2512301C000 Currently, no sufficiently accurate diagnostic or progressive biomarker of alfa-synucleinopathy (aSYN) is available that would allow early intervention to prevent the disease progression with potential neuroprotective therapies. Disruption or complete loss of spontaneous and deliberate facial movements, termed hypomimia, is a common motor manifestation of aSYN diseases such as Parkinson's disease (PD) or multiple system atrophy (MSA). Hypomimia is considered one of the earliest PD motor manifestations, developing up to 10 years before the clinical diagnosis. Even though hypomimia is a hallmark of PD, objective, precise, robust and easily interpretable tools to capture the disruption of facial movements are lacking. The current gold standard for hypomimia evaluation is a perceptual assessment based on a subjective, very simple 5-point rating scale, not allowing for a more detailed description of separate hypomimia aspects. The goal of this project is to develop and validate a robust objective tool for video analysis of facial expressivity in recordings of spontaneous speech and posed grimacing, sufficiently sensitive to detect (i) hypomimia in patients with REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD, a special case of prodromal aSYN), (ii) potential effects of short- and longterm dopaminergic medication on hypomimia in early PD, and (iii) differences in particular hypomimia patterns and its severity in parkinsonian variant of MSA compared to PD. Automated hypomimia analysis can become the important tool to recognize neurodegeneration in its earliest stage allowing for early initiation of an effective therapy once available. The hypomimia markers may also help to monitor different phenotype characteristics, disorder severity, and the pharmacological therapy effect. Moreover, better understanding of processes underlying hypomimia is essential for the correct choice of therapy aimed at alleviation of facial expressivity loss with significant impact on quality of patients’ life. National institute for Neurological Research J. Rusz (2022 - 2025) Programme EXCELES, funded by the European Union – Next Generation EU: LX22NPO5107 FIS ID: 122/1662201C000/13131 In connection with the dramatically increasing average age of the population and the worldwide increase in the occurrence of neurological, and especially neurodegenerative diseases, with still unclear etiology and pathogenesis, and non-existent preventive or causal therapy, the urgent need for their focused research is increasing. This imperative is all the more significant as the health and economic impact on our society will be enormous in the coming decades. Therefore, the development of the necessary components of neurodegeneration research in the areas of clinical, imaging, electrophysiological, molecular genetic, biochemical and neuropathological markers, etiopathogenetic mechanisms and experimental therapies is clearly necessary. Reducing speech-related side-effects of deep brain stimulation in Parkinson's Disease via automated speech analysis J. Rusz (2021 - 2023) Czech Science Foundation: 21-14216L FIS ID: 301-3012102C000-13131 Smart Speech Biomarkers for Parkinson’s Disease and Other Synucleinopathies J. Rusz (2020 - 2023) Czech Ministry of Health: NU20-08-00445 FIS ID: 13131/251/2512001C000 Objective investigation of distinct speech phenotypes in newly diagnosed Parkinson's disease including effects of pharmacotherapy T. Tykalová (2019 - 2022) Czech Ministry of Health: NV19-04-00120 FIS ID: 13131/252/2521901C000 Population standard of acoustic-phonetic characteristics in children's speech R. Čmejla (2019 - 2021) Czech Science Foundation: 19-20887S Automatic acoustic speech analysis and REM sleep behaviour disorder for detecting subjects at high risk for Parkinson's disease and other alpha-synucleinopathies J. Rusz (2017 - 2021) Michael J Fox Foundation (MJFF): 12546 [MJFF link][Project info] FIS ID: 6611701C000 Biological Signals and Their Processing J. Rusz (2020 - 2022) Grant Agency of the Czech Technical University in Prague: SGS20/168/OHK3/3T/13 FIS ID: TBC R. Čmejla (2017 - 2020) Význam funkční a strukturální reorganizace mozkových sítí v patogenezi kognitivního deficitu a epilepsie po cévní mozkové příhodě Czech Ministry of Health: NV17-28427A R. Čmejla (2018 - 2019) Analysis and processing of bio-signals for diagnostics of neurological disruptions Grant Agency of the Czech Technical University in Prague SGS18/137/OHK3/2T/13 R. Čmejla (2016 - 2018) Age-related changes in acoustic characteristics of adult speech Czech Science Foundation GACR 16-19975S J. Rusz (2016 - 2018) Investigation of pathomechanisms responsible for speech and voice disorders in multiple sclerosis using new methods of objective acoustic analysis Czech Science Foundation GACR 16-03322S J. Rusz & R. Čmejla (2015 - 2018) Speech disorders and analysis of their mechanism in Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders Czech Ministry of Health AZV ČR 15-28038A R. Čmejla (2015 - 2018) Analýza funkční organizace epileptogenních sítí s využitím teorie grafů: význam pro předoperační diagnostiku pacientů s neokortikální epilepsií Czech Ministry of Health AZV ČR 15-29835A R. Janča (2015 - 2018) Prevence motorických deficitů po epileptochirurgických výkonech u dětí Czech Ministry of Health AZV ČR 15-30456A R. Čmejla (2015-2017) Analysis and Processing of Biological Signals Grant Agency of the Czech Technical University SGS15/198/OHK3/3T/13 J. Rusz (2015-2017) Acoustic Analyses and Processing of Speech Signals in Patients with Central Nervous System Disorders Grant Agency of the Czech Technical University SGS15/199/OHK3/3T/13 R. Čmejla (2014-2016) Large-scale dynamics and critical transitions in neuronal networks and their role in limbic seizure genesis Czech Science Foundation GAČR R. Čmejla (2013-2015) Understanding of functional organization of temporal lobe epilepsy neuronal networks Czech Ministry of Health NT14489 R. Čmejla (2012-2015) Acoustic Voice and Speech Analysis in Patients with Central Nervous System Disorders Czech Science Foundation GAČR 102/12/2230 R. Čmejla (2013-2014) Biological Signals Analysis and Processing Grant Agency of the Czech Technical University SGS13/138/OHK3/2T/13 J. Rusz (2012-2014) Acoustic Analyses and New Evaluation Methods for Objectification of Voice and Speech Disorders in Neurological Illnesses Grant Agency of the Czech Technical University SGS 12/185/OHK4/3T/13 R. Čmejla (2010 - 2013) Intracranial EEG signal processing; epileptogenic zone identification in non-lesional refractory epilepsy patients Czech Ministry of Health NT11460-4/2010 J. Rusz (2011) Complex measurement of lung ventilation Czech Ministry of Education FRV G3 328 R. Čmejla (2010-2011) Analysis of intracranial EEG recording Grant Agency of the Czech Technical University SGS10/272/OHK4/3T/13 J. Rusz (2010 - 2011) Assesment of voice and speech impairment Grant Agency of the Czech Technical University SGS 10/180/OHK3/2T/13 D. Špulák (2010-2011) Analysis of signals induced by mechanical activity of heart Grant Agency of the Czech Technical University SGS 10/273/OHK3/3T/13 R. Čmejla (2010) Voice and audio signal analysis Czech Ministry of Education FRV F3a 316 R. Čmejla (2008 - 2011) Analysis and Modelling Biomedical and Speech Signals Czech Science Foundation GAČR GD102/08/H008 Contact: Czech Technical University in Prague, Faculty of Electrical Engineering Department of Circuit Theory Technicka 2, 166 27 Prague 6, Czech Republic Phone: +420 2435 2236, e-mail: cmejla at fel.cvut.cz