Efficacy of vocal biomarkers in detecting cognitive impairment: interim findings from US and Indian populations
Erik Larsen, Olivia Murton, Xinyu Song, Erica Weiss, Ayers Emmeline, Jessica Zwerling, Veena Sharath, Soumya Jacob, Alben Sigamani, V.G. Pradeep, Joe Verghese · 2025
Read Efficacy of vocal biomarkers in detecting cognitive impairment: interim findings from US and Indian populations by Erik Larsen, Olivia Murton, Xinyu Song, Erica Weiss, Ayers Emmeline, Jessica Zwerling, Veena Sharath, Soumya Jacob, Alben Sigamani, V.G. Pradeep, Joe Verghese (2025) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/pmc-11716075.txt.
Description
Erik Larsen and ten co-authors test voice features as early signs of cognitive decline in two countries, in a 2025 paper. Speech rate and pauses can shift as thinking weakens. Voice devices are everywhere, so automated checks could scale widely. Cohorts in Kerala, India, and the Bronx, New York, completed voice tasks. Standard cognitive screens supplied the comparison scores.
Worse screen scores went with slower speech and longer pauses. The link was stronger in the Indian cohort. Tasks demanding more mental effort sharpened the contrast in both places. Average speech rates were close across the two cohorts. Effect sizes reached medium to large for effort and, in India, for impairment. The authors call the findings preliminary. They support continued work on accessible voice screening tools for older adults.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Erik Larsen, Olivia Murton, Xinyu Song, Erica Weiss, Ayers Emmeline, Jessica Zwerling, Veena Sharath, Soumya Jacob, Alben Sigamani, V.G. Pradeep, Joe Verghese |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2025 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 3 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |