Subtle differences in speech timing, vocal effort, and voice quality were found between cannabis and control groups. After controlling for lifetime alcohol and tobacco use, the cannabis group presented with longer and more variable pauses across tasks, and vocal effort was different compared to controls. Vocal effort and intensity also appeared to change in line with duration of abstinence from cannabis use – that is, they appeared get better the longer they stayed away from the drug. The differences observed between users and controls may reflect longer term changes to the underlying neural control of speech.
Redenlab are part of a successful consortium securing funding for training a new cohort of early career researchers in understanding key issues in optimal ageing (including environmental, social and economic factors that underlie health and independence in ageing).
FOXP1-related disorder is characterized by a complex speech and language phenotype with prominent dysarthria, broader motor planning and programming deficits, and linguistic-based phonological errors. Diagnosis of the speech phenotype associated with FOXP1-related dysfunction will inform early targeted therapy.
In our new study, published in the Journal of Acoustical Society of America, we tested reliability, stability, and sensitivity to change in vowel measurements.