La variabilità formantica delle vocali come potenziale biomarcatore fonetico di declino cognitivo. Un’indagine preliminare [Vowel formant variability as a potential phonetic biomarker of cognitive decline. A preliminary investigation]

While many studies on speech in dementia have focused on suprasegmental features that can distinguish individuals with and without cognitive impairment, few have examined segmental aspects. To bridge this gap, our ongoing study investigates whether patients with dementia exhibit greater variability in vowel formant compared to neurotypical individuals. We performed an acoustic analysis of the first three formant frequencies at the midpoint of each vowel produced by six Italian-speaking females diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and a matched group of neurotypical peers. Significant group differences emerged for most formant measures, with F2 values showing consistent divergence across all vowels, regardless of stress. Notably, these F2 differences appeared to correlate with vowel frontness. Overall, these findings suggest that F2 values may function as a phonetic marker for distinguishing individuals with Alzheimer’s disease from healthy controls.