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This study used zebra finch songbirds to identify distinct vocal patterns associated with normal aging versus Parkinson's disease-like conditions. Researchers found that aging birds showed non-linear changes in voice frequency and spectral features, while birds with induced alpha-synuclein overexpression (mimicking Parkinson's) displayed greater alterations in fundamental frequency variability and vocal intensity control. The findings suggest specific acoustic biomarkers may help differentiate age-related vocal changes from early Parkinson's disease.
Why it matters
Distinguishing normal aging from early Parkinson's disease is clinically challenging, as both produce similar vocal impairments. This research identifies potential vocal biomarkers that could enable earlier and more accurate Parkinson's diagnosis in humans, while validating songbirds as effective models for studying human voice disorders.
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⚠️ Preprint – Noch nicht peer-reviewed
Dieser Artikel wurde noch nicht von unabhängigen Experten begutachtet. Die Ergebnisse sind vorläufig und sollten mit Vorsicht interpretiert werden.
Purpose: Similar vocal impairments occur in normative aging and Parkinson’s disease (PD), making differential diagnosis challenging in early stages. The brain’s role in age and PD-related vocal dysfunction is unclear. This motivated our use of the zebra finch songbird model. We applied human acoustic analysis to evaluate aging and parkinsonian-like birdsong for shared and distinct features. Method: Two open-access datasets of zebra finch song were analyzed using an expanded set of parameters that, in the case of humans, can detect subtle changes in voice. The aging dataset included younger, middle-aged, and older birds. The PD dataset included birds receiving viral injections into Area X to induce -synuclein overexpression or control treatment, recorded pre- and post-injection. Songs were automatically segmented into motifs using cross-correlation. Acoustic measures were extracted from harmonic, noisy, and mixed syllables. Results: Middle-aged birds differed from younger and older birds, showing non-linear trajectories in fundamental frequency measures and age-related increases in spectral slope, spectral emphasis, and intensity variability, whereas temporal parameters remained stable. In PD, pre-post changes occurred in both ASYN and controls, with ASYN birds exhibiting larger effects for fundamental frequency variability, decreasing frequency modulation, and vocal intensity measures. Conclusions: Vocal aging in zebra finches was characterized by non-linear trajectories and prominent spectral and intensity-related changes. In a gene-driven PD state there were greater alterations in fundamental frequency variability and intensity regulation, features that may distinguish aging- from disease-related vocal variability. These findings further support the zebra finch as a translational model for vocal biomarker research.
Source: Vocal biomarkers of aging and Parkinson's disease in a songbird