2889 – Speech intelligibility and sound frequency discrimination in opioid addicts

• Published in: European psychiatry Vol. 28; p. 1
• Main Authors: Gorzelańczyk, E.J, Sęk, A, Wicher, A, Ziółkowski, M, Walecki, P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier SAS 2013
• Subjects: Internal Medicine; Psychiatry
• ISSN: 0924-9338; 1778-3585
• DOI: 10.1016/S0924-9338(13)77459-5

Objectives The aim of this study is to assess the relationship between the use of opioid drugs and speech intelligibility and discrimination of sound frequencies. Methods 44 opioid addicts (10 women and 34 men) during methadone maintenance treatment were examined. The mean age of participants 33 ± 9 years; the average duration of addiction: 12 years. The Polish Sentence Test (PTZ) for speech intelligibility measurements was used. The test consists of the presentation of 26 sentences, which were disrupted by the babble-noise. In the study of frequency discrimination experimental method is used. Two signals of different frequencies were presented. The task of the study is to identify the frequency-modulated stimulus (target). The study was conducted in a soundproof booth. The Psychoacoustics and Speech Workstations by Tucker Davis Technologies was used. Results The difference in speech intelligibility and frequency discrimination between opioid addicts and healthy ones was found. The average value of the intensity of speech sounds in noise (Signal-to-Noise Ratio - SNR) in opioid addicts was -3.7 dB and in healthy ones was -5.6 dB. There was no correlation between the duration of addiction and the speech intelligibility in noise or frequency discrimination. Conclusion The influence of taking opioids for speech intelligibility and frequency discrimination was found.