Early detection and tracking of bulbar changes in ALS via frequent and remote speech analysis.
prospective_cohort · Level II
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 33083567.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41746-020-00335-x and PMC identifier 7555482.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Bulbar deterioration in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating characteristic that impairs patients' ability to communicate, and is linked to shorter survival. The existing clinical instruments for assessing bulbar function lack sensitivity to early changes. In this paper, using a cohort of <i>N</i> = 65 ALS patients who provided regular speech samples for 3-9 months, we demonstrated that it is possible to remotely detect early speech changes and track speech progression in ALS via automated algorithmic assessment of speech collected digitally.