Patel is leading research at Seton Hall University.
By Raif Karerat
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An Indian American scientist is leading a new study to try and spot vocal differences between normally ageing adults and those with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia.
If it’s successful, Sona Patel’s research could serve as a catalyst for better treatment to try and mitigate the onset of the disease.
“You react to stimuli with your voice automatically, without even realizing it, Patel said. “Now, the question is if we can use voices to indicate other neurological disorders.”
Patel is carrying out her research at Seton Hall University’s School of Health and Medical Sciences, where she serves as a professor. Her goal is to make Parkinson’s disease and other degenerative brain diseases as easy and inexpensive as using a smartphone app, according to Seton Hall’s news site.
“If patients can be diagnosed in an early stage of disease, treatment and drug therapies can start at that time, possibly slowing the disease progression,” Patel stated.
For the study, participants are wired up to a electroencephalogram (EEG) testing machine which detects differences in brain activity and vocal response.
“They are asked to maintain a steady sound, but we make it tricky by changing the auditory feedback (the sound they hear) slightly, such as pitch or loudness, and measure their neural and voice responses,” said Patel.
She hopes to complete her research by next year and is currently recruiting men and women aged over 50 to take part in trials, reported the Daily Mail.
Patel expects to have the results from her neuro-behavioral modeling research in the fall of 2016. At that point, Patel and her growing team of four graduate and undergraduate research assistants at the Voice Analytics and Neuropsychology Lab on Seton Hall’s South Orange, N.J. campus will look for ways to apply the research in practical and clinical settings.