Abstract In addition to memory loss, progressive deterioration of speech and language skills is among the main symptoms at the onset of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) as well as in mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Detailed interview analyses demonstrated early symptoms years before the onset of AD/MCI. Automatic speech processing could be a promising approach to identifying underlying mechanisms in larger studies or even support diagnostics. Perplexity as a measure of predictability of text could be a sensitive indicator of cognitive deterioration. Therefore, voice recordings from the Interdisciplinary Longitudinal Study on Adult Development and Aging were analyzed with regard to neuropsychological parameters in participants that develop MCI/AD or remain cognitively healthy. Preliminary results indicate that perplexity predicts severity of cognitive deficits and information processing speed obtained 10–12 years later in participants who developed MCI/AD in contrast to those who stayed healthy. Findings support the heuristic value of research on the diagnostic potential of automatic speech processing.

中文翻译：

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困惑-口语认知变化的新预测因子？–成人发育和老龄化跨学科纵向研究（ILSE）的结果

摘要除了记忆力减退外，语音和语言能力的逐步恶化是阿尔茨海默氏病（AD）和轻度认知障碍（MCI）发作的主要症状之一。详细的访谈分析显示了AD / MCI发作前几年的早期症状。自动语音处理可能是一种有前途的方法，可用于识别大型研究甚至支持诊断的潜在机制。困惑作为衡量文本可预测性的指标可能是认知能力下降的敏感指标。因此，针对成人发展和衰老的跨学科纵向研究的语音记录，对发展为MCI / AD或保持认知健康的参与者的神经心理参数进行了分析。初步结果表明，与保持健康的人相比，罹患MCI / AD的参与者在10-12年后获得的困惑预示着认知缺陷的严重程度和信息处理速度。这些发现支持了对自动语音处理的诊断潜力进行研究的启发式价值。