Abola Paula, Wolden Mitchell
Clinical Research, University of Jamestown, Fargo, USA.
Physical Therapy Program, University of Jamestown, Fargo, USA.
Cureus. 2025 Mar 29;17(3):e81398. doi: 10.7759/cureus.81398. eCollection 2025 Mar.
Introduction Voice changes affect 70 to 90% of individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD). Voice and speech changes in individuals with PD include increased shimmer, increased jitter, reduced harmonics-to-noise ratio (HNR), and changes in fundamental frequency. Studies have identified inter-individual variations in voice variables as PD progresses. However, intra-individual variations in voice variables have not been studied extensively. When individuals without PD experience stress or nervousness, their jitter and shimmer may also increase. Therefore, the purpose of our study was to compare the mean intra-individual variations in voice variables for individuals with PD and those without PD to determine whether the mean intra-individual variations differ between the two groups. Methodology We utilized the "Oxford Parkinson's Disease Detection Dataset," which consists of various biomedical voice measurements, and each individual's voice was measured six or seven times. The changes between each voice measurement for each individual were calculated. Independent samples t-tests were performed to determine significant differences in intra-individual variations in voice variables between individuals with PD and those without PD for all voice variables. Results The independent samples t-tests revealed no statistically significant differences in intra-individual variations between individuals with (n = 24) and without PD (n = 8) for any of the voice variables. For vocal fundamental frequency variables, the mean differences ranged from -1.98e5 (Flo) to 2.58e5 (Fhi). For jitter variables, the mean differences ranged from 1.05e-6 (Jitter(Abs)) to 5.32e-4 (DDP). For shimmer variables, the mean differences ranged from 2.11e-4 (APQ5) to 7.07e2 (Shimmer(dB)). For other variables, the mean differences ranged from -2.76e6 (HNR) to 6.02e4 (spread1). Conclusion Our findings indicate that intra-individual variations in voice variables do not significantly differ between individuals with and without PD. This suggests that intra-individual voice variability may not serve as a distinguishing factor for PD diagnosis. Future research should explore alternative methods to assess intra-individual voice variability and its potential role in PD diagnostics.
引言 嗓音变化影响70%至90%的帕金森病（PD）患者。PD患者的嗓音和言语变化包括颤动增加、抖动增加、谐波噪声比（HNR）降低以及基频变化。研究已确定随着PD病情进展，嗓音变量存在个体间差异。然而，嗓音变量的个体内差异尚未得到广泛研究。无PD的个体在经历压力或紧张时，其抖动和颤动也可能增加。因此，我们研究的目的是比较PD患者和非PD患者嗓音变量的平均个体内差异，以确定两组之间的平均个体内差异是否不同。
方法 我们使用了“牛津帕金森病检测数据集”，该数据集包含各种生物医学嗓音测量数据，且对每个个体的嗓音进行了六或七次测量。计算了每个个体每次嗓音测量之间的变化。对所有嗓音变量进行独立样本t检验，以确定PD患者和非PD患者嗓音变量个体内差异的显著差异。
结果 独立样本t检验显示，对于任何嗓音变量，PD患者（n = 24）和非PD患者（n = 8）之间的个体内差异均无统计学显著差异。对于嗓音基频变量，平均差异范围从-1.98e5（Flo）到2.58e5（Fhi）。对于抖动变量，平均差异范围从1.05e-6（Jitter(Abs)）到5.32e-4（DDP）。对于颤动变量，平均差异范围从2.11e-4（APQ5）到7.07e2（Shimmer(dB)）。对于其他变量，平均差异范围从-2.76e6（HNR）到6.02e4（spread1）。
结论 我们的研究结果表明，PD患者和非PD患者之间嗓音变量的个体内差异无显著差异。这表明个体内嗓音变异性可能不作为PD诊断的区分因素。未来的研究应探索评估个体内嗓音变异性的替代方法及其在PD诊断中的潜在作用。
