A Longitudinal Normative Dataset and Protocol for Speech and Language Biomarker Research

Schwoebel, J. W.; Schwartz, J.; Warrenburg, L.; Brown, R.; Awasthi, A.; New, A.; Butler, M.; Moss, M.; Pissadaki, E. K.

Although speech and language biomarker (SLB) research studies have shown methodological and clinical promise, some common limitations of these studies include small sample sizes, limited longitudinal data, and a lack of a standardized survey protocol. Here, we introduce the Voiceome Protocol and the corresponding Voiceome Dataset as standards which can be utilized and adapted by other SLB researchers. The Voiceome Protocol includes 12 types of voice tasks, along with health and demographic questions that have been shown to affect speech. The longitudinal Voiceome Dataset consisted of the Voiceome Protocol survey taken on (up to) four occasions, each separated by roughly three weeks (22.80 +/- 20.91 days). Of 6,650 total participants, 1,382 completed at least two Voiceome surveys. The results of the Voiceome Dataset are largely consistent with results from standard clinical literature, suggesting that the Voiceome Study is a high-fidelity, normative dataset and scalable protocol that can be used to advance SLB research.