Automatic Voice Analysis for Dysphagia Screening in Neurological Patients

Launched by ISTITUTI CLINICI SCIENTIFICI MAUGERI SPA · Jan 12, 2024

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying a new way to help identify swallowing difficulties, known as dysphagia, in people with neurological conditions like Parkinson's disease, stroke, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The researchers want to use advanced technology that analyzes voice recordings to detect if someone has trouble swallowing. This method could provide a quicker and easier way to screen for swallowing problems compared to traditional methods, which can be expensive and invasive.

To participate in the study, individuals must be over 18 years old and either have a diagnosis of one of the mentioned neurological disorders or be healthy. However, people with cognitive impairments that make it hard to follow vocal tasks, or those with ear, nose, and throat issues affecting their voice, will not be eligible. Participants will be asked to perform some simple vocal tasks during a single session, and their voice recordings will be analyzed. This research is important because swallowing difficulties can lead to serious health issues like malnutrition and pneumonia, and finding a reliable screening method could improve patient care.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Patients with a diagnosis of stroke, Parkinson's disease, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or healthy individuals.
• • Age higher than 18 years old.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Cognitive impairment that do not allow participants to understand the requested vocal tasks.
• • Ear, nose,throat diseases and other disorders able to affect voice quality.