Vocal Changes Signal Dementia Risk
New research shows that voice disorders, including shifts in pitch, volume, or clarity, could indicate a higher probability of developing dementia or cognitive impairment. A study involving 833,417 participants aged 50 and older examined the connection between voice disorders and hearing loss with the chance of developing cognitive decline, foxnews.com reported.
Participants with a voice disorder but no hearing loss showed a 58% increased likelihood of developing dementia or cognitive issues. When both a voice disorder and hearing loss were present, that likelihood rose to 104%. Robert Sataloff, a professor and chair at the Drexel University College of Medicine, noted that patients experiencing both conditions showed the strongest link with dementia.
Examples of voice disorders include laryngitis, vocal cord paralysis, vocal cord lesions, and spasmodic dysphonia. While these conditions do not guarantee a future cognitive decline, researchers suggest that treating vocal issues and maintaining social engagement can help stimulate the brain.
Automated Speech Clock Measures Biological Age
Analyzing audio recordings can reveal early signs of brain ageing and distinguish healthy individuals from those with dementia, according to a separate study. Researchers utilized an automated computer tool called a speech clock to calculate a person’s speech age and generate a speech age gap.
The study analyzed nearly 3,000 Spanish-speaking adults across Latin America who completed storytelling and naming tasks. Agustín Ibáñez, senior author of the study at Trinity College Dublin, stated that the voice contains far more information about ageing than previously recognized. The speech clock captured signals coming from cognition, the brain, and systemic biology.
Participants whose speech appeared older than expected showed accelerated biological ageing, greater loss of brain structure on MRI scans, and higher levels of the Alzheimer’s-linked protein p-Tau217. However, the researchers stressed that the speech clock is not yet a diagnostic test for dementia.
Clinical diagnoses differ from machine learning analysis
The research from Drexel University College of Medicine relied on clinical diagnoses of 833,417 patients to track the incidence of dementia following voice and hearing diagnoses.
Conversely, the Trinity College Dublin research used machine learning to examine audio recordings from nearly 3,000 participants. That automated tool evaluated speech rate, pauses, pitch, and emotional content to measure biological ageing and current brain structure rather than tracking future diagnoses.
What voice conditions and markers relate to dementia?
How many participants were included in the Latin American speech clock study?
The research analyzed audio recordings from nearly 3,000 Spanish-speaking adults across Latin America.
What protein marker was linked to older speech scores in the Trinity College Dublin research?
Older speech scores were tied to higher levels of p-Tau217, a key blood protein linked to Alzheimer’s disease.
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