A Tutorial Review on Clinical Acoustic Markers in Speech Science

Area of Science:

• Speech science
• Biomedical engineering
• Clinical neurology

Background:

• Neurological diseases and articulatory disorders alter human voice, impacting communication effectiveness.
• Acoustic feature extraction using signal processing offers objective measurement of these vocal changes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demystify signal processing techniques for acoustic feature measurement in voice analysis.
• To provide a clear understanding of underlying steps and assumptions for accurate clinical acoustic marker measurement.
• To discuss the clinical implications of acoustic markers derived from voice analysis.

Main Methods:

• Detailed explanation of signal processing techniques for extracting acoustic features from voice.
• Step-by-step guide to accurate measurement of clinical acoustic markers.
• Discussion of best practices and resources for voice analysis.

Main Results:

• Established a clear vocabulary and provided visualizations for interdisciplinary understanding.
• Outlined transparent methodologies for acoustic feature extraction.
• Highlighted best practices for measuring clinical acoustic markers.

Conclusions:

• Improved accessibility of voice analysis techniques for non-specialists.
• Facilitated better understanding and application of acoustic markers in clinical settings.
• Provided resources for further exploration of voice analysis measures.