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

Israel Martínez-Nicolás, Thide E. Llorente, Olga Ivanova, Francisco Martínez-Sánchez and Juan J. G. Meilán
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Israel Martínez-Nicolás: Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de Salamanca, 37008 Salamanca, Spain
Thide E. Llorente: Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de Salamanca, 37008 Salamanca, Spain
Olga Ivanova: Instituto de Neurociencias de Castilla y León, 37007 Salamanca, Spain
Francisco Martínez-Sánchez: Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain
Juan J. G. Meilán: Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de Salamanca, 37008 Salamanca, Spain

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 4, 1-18

Abstract: 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.

Keywords: speech analysis; aging voice; cognitive state; MMSE; cognitive impairment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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