Many Changes in Speech through Aging Are Actually a Consequence of Cognitive Changes.

BACKGROUND: During aging, changes in human speech may arise because of the neurophysiological deterioration associated with age, or as the result of an impairment in the cognitive processes underlying speech production. Some speech parameters show specific alterations under the presence of dementia. The objective of our study is to identify which of these parameters change because of age, cognitive state, or the interaction of both. METHODS: The sample includes 400 people over 55 years old, who were divided into four groups, according to their age. The cognitive state of the participants was assessed through the MMSE test and three ranks were stablished. Gender was also considered in the analysis. RESULTS: Certain temporal, fluency, rhythm, amplitude and voice quality parameters were found to be related to the cognitive state, while disturbance parameters changed due to age. Frequency parameters were exclusively influenced by gender. CONCLUSIONS: Understanding how speech parameters are specifically affected by age, cognitive state, or the interaction of both, is determinant to advance in the use of speech as a clinical marker for the detection of cognitive impairments.

Speech biomarkers of risk factors for vascular dementia in people with mild cognitive impairment.

Introduction: In this study we intend to use speech analysis to analyze the cognitive impairments caused by pathologies of vascular origin such as diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia and heart disease, predictors of the development of vascular dementia. Methods: In this study, 40 participants with mild cognitive impairment were asked to read while being recorded and they were inquired about their history of the aforementioned conditions. Their speech was then analyzed. Results: We found that some speech parameters of frequencies and syllabic rhythm vary due to these pathologies. In addition, we conducted a discriminant analysis in which we found that diabetes and hypertension can be predicted with an accuracy over 95% with few speech parameters, and hypercholesterolemia and heart disease with an accuracy over 80%. Discussion: The predictor parameters found are heterogeneous, including voice quality, amplitude, frequency, and rhythm parameters. This result may lead to investigate why such important qualitative changes occur in the voice of older adults with these pathologies. Rather than trying to find a diagnostic procedure already existing in classical medicine, we expect this finding to contribute to explore the causes and concomitant pathologies of these diseases. We discuss the implications of behavioral traits, such as speech, as digital biomarkers.

Ten Years of Research on Automatic Voice and Speech Analysis of People With Alzheimer's Disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Systematic Review Article.

Background: The field of voice and speech analysis has become increasingly popular over the last 10 years, and articles on its use in detecting neurodegenerative diseases have proliferated. Many studies have identified characteristic speech features that can be used to draw an accurate distinction between healthy aging among older people and those with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. Speech analysis has been singled out as a cost-effective and reliable method for detecting the presence of both conditions. In this research, a systematic review was conducted to determine these features and their diagnostic accuracy. Methods: Peer-reviewed literature was located across multiple databases, involving studies that apply new procedures of automatic speech analysis to collect behavioral evidence of linguistic impairments along with their diagnostic accuracy on Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment. The risk of bias was assessed by using JBI and QUADAS-2 checklists. Results: Thirty-five papers met the inclusion criteria; of these, 11 were descriptive studies that either identified voice features or explored their cognitive correlates, and the rest were diagnostic studies. Overall, the studies were of good quality and presented solid evidence of the usefulness of this technique. The distinctive acoustic and rhythmic features found are gathered. Most studies record a diagnostic accuracy over 88% for Alzheimer's and 80% for mild cognitive impairment. Conclusion: Automatic speech analysis is a promising tool for diagnosing mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. The reported features seem to be indicators of the cognitive changes in older people. The specific features and the cognitive changes involved could be the subject of further research.

[Development of a subjective quality of life scale in nursing homes for older people (CVS-R).] / Desarrollo de una escala de calidad de vida subjetiva en residencias de personas mayores (CVS-R).

OBJECTIVE: The quality of life in nursing homes is a growing concern. Its assessment requires instruments that consider the subjective needs of residents, their families, and staff, such as the questionnaire (CVS-R) that has been developed and validated in the present study. METHODS: The original 100 items version was applied to 99 participants from three nursing homes (36,4% professionals, 30,30% residents and 33,33% family members). From the item analysis, a questionnaire with 27 questions and 9 dimensions was obtained, which, subsequently, 225 people from other nursing homes in Spain filled in online. Content validity was analyzed by expert judgment, and construct validity by factor analysis. Reliability was assessed by analyzing the internal consistency with Cronbach's alpha. RESULTS: The factorial analysis confirmed the existence of a single factor that explains 62.35% of the total variance of the questionnaire. Cronbach's alpha was 0.97. No relationship was found between sex and the final score of the questionnaire. CONCLUSIONS: The psychometric properties of the CVS-R support its use for the assessment of the subjective quality of life of nursing homes in Spain. The CVS-R considers, for the first time, the perception of residents, families and staff.

OBJETIVO: La calidad de vida en residencias de personas mayores es una preocupación creciente. Su evaluación requiere instrumentos que consideren las necesidades subjetivas de residentes, familias y profesionales, como el cuestionario (CVS-R) que se desarrolló y validó en el presente estudio. METODOS: La versión original de 100 ítems fue aplicada a 99 personas procedentes de tres residencias (36,4% profesionales, 30,30% residentes y 33,33% familiares). Del análisis de los ítems se obtuvo un cuestionario de 27 preguntas y 9 dimensiones que, posteriormente, rellenaron de forma online 225 personas de otras residencias de España (62% profesionales, 23% residentes y 14% familiares). Se analizó la validez de contenido mediante valoración por expertos y la validez de constructo mediante análisis factorial. Se evaluó la fiabilidad analizando la consistencia interna con el alfa de Cronbach. RESULTADOS: El análisis factorial confirmó la existencia de un solo factor que explica el 62,35% de la varianza total del cuestionario. El alfa de Cronbach fue de 0,97. No se encontró relación entre el sexo y la puntuación final del cuestionario. CONCLUSIONES: Las propiedades psicométricas del CVS-R apoyan su uso para la evaluación de la CV subjetiva de residencias de personas mayores de España. El CVS-R recoge, por primera vez, la percepción de residentes, familias y profesionales.

Changes in the Rhythm of Speech Difference between People with Nondegenerative Mild Cognitive Impairment and with Preclinical Dementia.

This study explores several speech parameters related to mild cognitive impairment, as well as those that might be flagging the presence of an underlying neurodegenerative process. Speech is an excellent biomarker because it is not invasive and, what is more, its analysis is rapid and economical. Our aim has been to ascertain whether the typical speech patterns of people with Alzheimer's disease are also present during the disorder's preclinical stages. To do so, we shall be using a task that involves reading out aloud. This is followed by an analysis of the recordings, looking for the possible parameters differentiating between those older people with MCI and a high probability of developing dementia and those with MCI that will not do so. We found that the disease's most differentiating parameters prior to its onset involve changes in speech duration and an alteration in rhythm rate and intensity. These parameters seem to be related to the first difficulties in lexical access among older people with AD.