Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32675077›Full record

ArticleNeurology2020

Automated analysis of natural speech in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis spectrum disorders.

Naomi Nevler, Sharon Ash, Corey McMillan, Lauren Elman, Leo McCluskey, David J Irwin, Sunghye Cho, Mark Liberman, Murray Grossman

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Neurology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
19citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

19 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Developing digital health technologies for frontotemporal degeneration.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2025
    Review
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Review
  11. Review
  12. Frontotemporal lobar degeneration.Nature reviews. Disease primers · 2023
    Review
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. Review
  17. Article
  18. Article
  19. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Naomi NevlerFrom the Penn Frontotemporal Degeneration Center (N.N., S.A., C.M., D.J.I., M.G.), Department of Neurology (N.N., S.A., C.M., L.E., L.M., D.J.I., M.G.), and Linguistic Data Consortium (S.C., M.L.), Department of Linguistics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. naomine@pennmedicine.upenn.edu mgrossma@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.
Sharon AshFrom the Penn Frontotemporal Degeneration Center (N.N., S.A., C.M., D.J.I., M.G.), Department of Neurology (N.N., S.A., C.M., L.E., L.M., D.J.I., M.G.), and Linguistic Data Consortium (S.C., M.L.), Department of Linguistics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
Corey McMillanFrom the Penn Frontotemporal Degeneration Center (N.N., S.A., C.M., D.J.I., M.G.), Department of Neurology (N.N., S.A., C.M., L.E., L.M., D.J.I., M.G.), and Linguistic Data Consortium (S.C., M.L.), Department of Linguistics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
Lauren ElmanFrom the Penn Frontotemporal Degeneration Center (N.N., S.A., C.M., D.J.I., M.G.), Department of Neurology (N.N., S.A., C.M., L.E., L.M., D.J.I., M.G.), and Linguistic Data Consortium (S.C., M.L.), Department of Linguistics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
Leo McCluskeyFrom the Penn Frontotemporal Degeneration Center (N.N., S.A., C.M., D.J.I., M.G.), Department of Neurology (N.N., S.A., C.M., L.E., L.M., D.J.I., M.G.), and Linguistic Data Consortium (S.C., M.L.), Department of Linguistics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
David J IrwinFrom the Penn Frontotemporal Degeneration Center (N.N., S.A., C.M., D.J.I., M.G.), Department of Neurology (N.N., S.A., C.M., L.E., L.M., D.J.I., M.G.), and Linguistic Data Consortium (S.C., M.L.), Department of Linguistics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
Sunghye ChoFrom the Penn Frontotemporal Degeneration Center (N.N., S.A., C.M., D.J.I., M.G.), Department of Neurology (N.N., S.A., C.M., L.E., L.M., D.J.I., M.G.), and Linguistic Data Consortium (S.C., M.L.), Department of Linguistics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
Mark LibermanFrom the Penn Frontotemporal Degeneration Center (N.N., S.A., C.M., D.J.I., M.G.), Department of Neurology (N.N., S.A., C.M., L.E., L.M., D.J.I., M.G.), and Linguistic Data Consortium (S.C., M.L.), Department of Linguistics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
Murray GrossmanFrom the Penn Frontotemporal Degeneration Center (N.N., S.A., C.M., D.J.I., M.G.), Department of Neurology (N.N., S.A., C.M., L.E., L.M., D.J.I., M.G.), and Linguistic Data Consortium (S.C., M.L.), Department of Linguistics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. naomine@pennmedicine.upenn.edu mgrossma@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.

Funding

Understanding Environmental Contributions to Heterogeneity in bvFTD.P01AG066597 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · PI David John Irwin, Corey T McMillan · 2020 to 2026
$18.8M
Microscopic and Large-Scale Networks of Molecular Pathology in Frontotemporal Lobar DegenerationR01NS109260 · NINDS · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · PI IRWIN, DAVID JOHN · 2019 to 2023
$3.8M
NIA NIH HHS P01 AG066597NINDS NIH HHS R01 NS109260
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveWe implemented automated methods to analyze speech and evaluate the hypothesis that cognitive and motor factors impair prosody in partially distinct ways in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

methodsWe recruited 213 participants, including 67 with ALS (44 with motor ALS, 23 with ALS and frontotemporal degeneration [FTD]), 33 healthy controls, and neurodegenerative reference groups with behavioral variant FTD (n = 90) and nonfluent/agrammatic primary progressive aphasia (n = 23). Digitized, semistructured speech samples obtained from picture descriptions were automatically segmented with a Speech Activity Detector; continuous speech segments were pitch-tracked; and duration measures for speech and silent pause segments were extracted. Acoustic measures were calculated, including fundamental frequency (f0) range, mean speech and pause segment durations, total speech duration, and pause rate (pause count per minute of speech). Group comparisons related performance on acoustic measures to clinical scales of cognitive and motor impairments and explored MRI cortical thinning in ALS and ALS-FTD.

resultsThe f0 range was significantly impaired in ALS spectrum disorders and was related to bulbar motor disease, and regression analyses related this to cortical thickness in primary motor cortex and perisylvian regions. Impaired speech and pause duration measures were related to the degree of cognitive impairment in ALS spectrum disorders, and regressions related duration measures to bilateral frontal opercula and left anterior insula.

conclusionAutomated analyses of acoustic speech properties dissociate motor and cognitive components of speech deficits in ALS spectrum disorders.

Indexed as

AgedAmyotrophic Lateral SclerosisBrainFemaleHumansMagnetic Resonance ImagingMaleMiddle AgedNeuroimagingSpeech DisordersSpeech Production Measurement

Identifiers

PMID32675077
PMCPMC7713725

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.