Test-retest repeatability of human speech biomarkers from static and real-time dynamic magnetic resonance imaging

This study presents a test-retest repeatability framework for quantitative speech biomarkers from static MRI and real-time MRI (RT-MRI), and applies the framework to healthy volunteers (n=8). Repeatability was quantified using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and mean within-subject standard deviation (σe). Inter-study agreement was strong to very strong for static anatomical biomarkers, (ICC: min/median/max 0.71/0.89/0.98, σe: min/median/max 0.90/2.20/6.72 mm), poor to very strong for dynamic RT-MRI biomarkers of articulator motion range (ICC: 0.26/0.75/0.90, σe: 1.6/2.5/3.6 mm) and poor to very strong for velocity (ICC: 0.26/0.56/0.93, σe: 2.2/4.4/16.7 cm/s). The introduced framework can be used to guide future development of speech biomarkers.