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Acoustic properties of speech have previously been identified as possible cues to depression, and there is evidence that certain vocal parameters may be used further to objectively discriminate between depressed and suicidal speech. Studies were performed to analyze and compare the speech acoustics of separate male and female samples comprised of normal individuals and individuals carrying diagnoses of depression and high-risk, near-term suicidality. The female sample consisted of ten control subjects, 17 dysthymic patients, and 21 major depressed patients. The male sample contained 24 control subjects, 21 major depressed patients, and 22 high-risk suicidal patients. Acoustic analyses of voice fundamental frequency (Fo), amplitude modulation (AM), formants, and power distribution were performed on speech samples extracted from audio recordings collected from the sample members. Multivariate feature and discriminant analyses were performed on feature vectors representing the members of the control and disordered classes. Features derived from the formant and power spectral density measurements were found to be the best discriminators of class membership in both the male and female studies. AM features emerged as strong class discriminators of the male classes. Features describing Fo were generally ineffective discriminators in both studies. The results support theories that identify psychomotor disturbances as central elements in depression and suicidality.

We propose a new technique for analyzing the raw neurogram which enables the study of the discharge behavior of individual and group neurons. It utilizes an ideal bandpass filter, a modified wavelet de-noising procedure, an action potential detector, and a waveform classifier. We validated our approach with both simulated data generated from muscle sympathetic neurograms sampled at high rates in five healthy subjects and data recorded from seven healthy subjects during lower body negative pressure suction. The modified wavelet method was superior to the classical discriminator method and the regular wavelet de-noising procedure when applied to simulated neuronal signals. The detected spike rate and spike amplitude rate of the action potentials correlated strongly with number of bursts detected in the integrated neurogram (r = 0.79 and 0.89, respectively, p < 0.001). Eight major action potential waveform classes were found to describe more than 81% of all detected action potentials in all subjects. One class had characteristics similar in shape and in average discharge frequency (27.4 +/- 5.1 spikes/min during resting supine position) to those of reported single vasoconstrictor units. The newly proposed technique allows a precise estimate of sympathetic nerve activity and characterization of individual action potentials in multiunit records.

Astronauts returning from space have reduced red blood cell masses, hypovolaemia and orthostatic intolerance, marked by greater cardio–acceleration during standing than before spaceflight, and in some, orthostatic hypotension and presyncope. Adaptation of the sympathetic nervous system occurring during spaceflight may be responsible for these postflight alterations. We tested the hypotheses that exposure to microgravity reduces sympathetic neural outflow and impairs sympathetic neural responses to orthostatic stress. We measured heart rate, photoplethysmographic finger arterial pressure, peroneal nerve muscle sympathetic activity and plasma noradrenaline spillover and clearance, in male astronauts before, during (flight day 12 or 13) and after the 16 day Neurolab space shuttle mission. Measurements were made during supine rest and orthostatic stress, as simulated on Earth and in space by 7 min periods of 15 and 30 mmHg lower body suction. Mean (±s.e.m.) heart rates before lower body suction were similar pre–flight and in flight. Heart rate responses to −30 mmHg were greater in flight (from 56 ± 4 to 72 ± 4 beats min−1) than pre–flight (from 56 ± 4 at rest to 62 ± 4 beats min−1, P < 0.05). Noradrenaline spillover and clearance were increased from pre–flight levels during baseline periods and during lower body suction, both in flight (n= 3) and on post–flight days 1 or 2 (n= 5, P < 0.05). In–flight baseline sympathetic nerve activity was increased above pre–flight levels (by 10–33 %) in the same three subjects in whom noradrenaline spillover and clearance were increased. The sympathetic response to 30 mmHg lower body suction was at pre–flight levels or higher in each subject (35 pre–flight vs. 40 bursts min−1 in flight). No astronaut experienced presyncope during lower body suction in space (or during upright tilt following the Neurolab mission). We conclude that in space, baseline sympathetic neural outflow is increased moderately and sympathetic responses to lower body suction are exaggerated. Therefore, notwithstanding hypovolaemia, astronauts respond normally to simulated orthostatic stress and are able to maintain their arterial pressures at normal levels.

Among the many clinical decisions that psychiatrists must make, assessment of a patient's risk of committing suicide is definitely among the most important, complex, and demanding. When reviewing his clinical experience, one of the authors observed that successful predictions of suicidality were often based on the patient's voice independent of content. The voices of suicidal patients judged to be high-risk near-term exhibited unique qualities, which distinguished them from nonsuicidal patients. We investigated the discriminating power of two excitation-based speech parameters, vocal jitter and glottal flow spectrum, for distinguishing among high-risk near-term suicidal, major depressed, and nonsuicidal patients. Our sample consisted of ten high-risk near-term suicidal patients, ten major depressed patients, and ten nondepressed control subjects. As a result of two sample statistical analyses, mean vocal jitter was found to be a significant discriminator only between suicidal and nondepressed control groups (p < 0.05). The slope of the glottal flow spectrum, on the other hand, was a significant discriminator between all three groups (p < 0.05). A maximum likelihood classifier, developed by combining the a posteriori probabilities of these two features, yielded correct classification scores of 85% between near-term suicidal patients and nondepressed controls, 90% between depressed patients and nondepressed controls, and 75% between near-term suicidal patients and depressed patients. These preliminary classification results support the hypothesized link between phonation and near-term suicidal risk. However, validation of the proposed measures on a larger sample size is necessary.

The use of linear envelopes to represent the electromyographic (EMG) measurements obtained during locomotion has become common practice. Guidelines for designing envelope filters and specifying the minimum number of strides needed to produce valid EMG profiles have been developed. Electromyograms from eight major muscles of the lower leg are measured from five normal young adults during self-selected slow, free and fast walking speeds. 30 strides per task are measured. The 'ideal' EMG profile is defined from the ensemble average of the rectified EMG signal. An error measure is defined and used as a criterion to assess the appropriateness of various cut-off frequencies for envelope filters and the number of strides required for establishing a good EMG profile. It is found that between six and ten strides are needed to form a representative profile, and an envelope filter with a minimum cut-off frequency of approximately 9 Hz is necessary.

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