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Published on: August 8, 2011
Age-related changes to speech breathing with increased vocal loudness
Jessica E Huber1, John Spruill
1Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, Purdue University, 1353 Heavilon Hall, 500 Oval Drive, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2038, USA. jhuber@purdue.edu
Summary
Normal aging affects speech breathing differently in men and women. Older men use higher lung volumes for speech, with age-related differences more pronounced for longer sentences.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Speech Science
- Respiratory Physiology
Background:
- Aging is associated with physiological changes that can impact speech production.
- Understanding age-related changes in respiratory support for speech is crucial for distinguishing normal aging from pathological conditions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of normal aging on respiratory kinematics during speech production.
- To examine how utterance length and loudness influence age- and sex-related differences in speech breathing.
Main Methods:
- Respiratory kinematics were measured in older adults (15 women, 10 men) producing sentences of varying lengths under different loudness conditions.
- Data were compared to previously published data from young adults.
- Measurements included lung volume and chest wall movements.
Main Results:
- A significant Age x Sex interaction was found: older men utilized higher lung volumes for speech compared to younger men.
- No significant differences in lung volumes were observed between older and younger women.
- Older adults exhibited increased abdominal movement for loud speech, particularly in noise, and employed different mechanisms for loudness support compared to younger adults. Age-related differences were amplified with longer utterances.
Conclusions:
- Findings suggest that reduced chest wall compliance, pulmonary elastic recoil, and laryngeal closure may contribute to observed age-related speech breathing patterns.
- The study provides valuable data for differentiating normal aging processes from disease-related changes in respiratory function for speech.
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