This study employed spectral analyses for acoustic measures of sustained vowel productions from a group of 20 adolescents and young adults with Friedreich's Ataxia (FA) and compared findings with a group of 20 age-equivalent and gender-matched normal control participants. State-of-the art spectral analyses from the Analysis of Dysphonia in Speech and Voice (ADSV) program, developed for various voice disorders from Kay Elemetrics, were applied to initial 2 second sustained vowel segments of the vowels /a/, /i/, and /o/. Spectral analyses included averages and standard deviations of Cepstral Peak Prominence (CPP), Cepstral Peak Prominence Standard Deviation (CPP SD), Low/High Spectral Ratio (L/H Ratio), Low/High Spectral Ratio Standard Deviation (L/H Ratio SD), Cepstral/Spectral Index of Dysphonia (CSID), and Mean Cepstral Peak Prominence Fundamental Frequency (Mean CPP F0). Statistical analyses revealed significant differences between the spectral analyses of voice characteristics of individuals with FA and those of normal controls for all measures except for CPP SD. The aim of these analyses was to determine spectral differences evident in vowel productions of individuals with FA using new cepstral-derived measures that characterize the phonatory instability and dis-coordination present in this disorder. Such research may not only help develop early non-invasive indicators of ataxia and track disease progression, but also serve to stimulate research into alleviating the symptoms of this devastating disease.

Background Previous research has emphasized the importance of objectivity in voice quality evaluation. Acoustic voice quality index (AVQI) is a multiparametric objective index, that quantifies overall voice quality. Over the past decade, international studies have demonstrated strong diagnostic accuracy and sensitivity of AVQI to voice disorders. Ithas yet been inconclusive whether AVQI is independent of factors such as age and gender or if AVQI is affected by different types of continuous speech segments.  Aim  The aim of this study is to gather descriptive data regarding AVQI’s performance in a healthy Swedish-speaking population. Another objective is to investigate the potential impact of varying characteristics, such as age and gender, and type of continuous speech samples on the AVQI values.  Method  The present study gathered speech samples from 137 participants aged 20 to 90 years with a balanced gender distribution. These samples contained two different types of continuous speech, from which separate AVQI valuesin the acoustic analysis were computed. An analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was then used to study the effects of age, gender, and type of continuous speech used on the resulting AVQI values.  Results  Descriptive normative data was gathered for the overall voice quality of the age groups included in this study. A statistically significant main effect of age on the AVQI values was observed. Statistical analysis revealed no significant effect of speech type, speaker gender or the interaction of age and gender on the AVQI values.   Conclusions  In conclusion, the present study offered data for AVQI values in the Swedish-speaking population. AVQI scores were higher in older participants compared to the younger participants. No other significant effects were found in this study. AVQI values obtained in this study and comparisons carried out with international AVQI values indicatepotentially successful use of the acoustic voice quality index in the Swedish-speaking population with some precautions.

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