Speaker
Description
Background: Speech production is sensitive to cognitive and affective states. In people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) with no-to-minimal disability, multidimensional acoustic measures may help characterize subtle variability beyond overt speech disorders.Aim: To explore psychologically related variability in speech measures in pwMS and healthy subjects(HS).Methods: Thirteen pwMS (9females; median age 44years[IQR38–52]; EDSS 1.50points[IQR1-2]) and 23 matched HS (13 females; median age 41years[IQR32–51]) completed reading and sustained-vowel tasks. Reading-derived measures included speech rate, articulation rate, pause ratio, pause duration, AVQI, and cepstral peak prominence smooth (CPPS). Vowel space area (VSA) and formant centralization ratio (FCR) were calculated from sustained vowels. Associations with Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT), Trail Making Test B-A (TMT B-A), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-Y1), and Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) were explored using Spearman correlations.Results: In pwMS, higher state anxiety (STAI-Y1) was strongly associated with values of VSA (ρ=0.95, p=0.001). In HS, higher anxiety was associated with lower speech (ρ=−0.83, p<0.001) and articulation rate (ρ=−0.62, p=0.031), and lower vowels centralization (FCRρ=−0.56, p=0.045). Better speed process(SDMT) in HS was associated with higher voice quality (CPPS ρ=0.76, p=0.002; AVQI ρ=−0.58, p=0.029). Mood disorders(BDI-II) in HS were associated with smaller VSA (ρ=−0.59, p=0.034).Conclusions: Multidimensional acoustic profiling may capture subtle psychologically related speech variability in this population. Preliminary findings suggest different patterns of association between acoustic measures, mood, and cognition in pwMS and HS. Larger studies are needed to better explore group-specific patterns.