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Edalati M, Wallois F, Ghostine G, Kongolo G, Trainor LJ, Moghimi S. Neural oscillations suggest periodicity encoding during auditory beat processing in the premature brain. Dev Sci 2024:e13550. [PMID: 39010656 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Revised: 06/25/2024] [Accepted: 06/26/2024] [Indexed: 07/17/2024]
Abstract
When exposed to rhythmic patterns with temporal regularity, adults exhibit an inherent ability to extract and anticipate an underlying sequence of regularly spaced beats, which is internally constructed, as beats are experienced even when no events occur at beat positions (e.g., in the case of rests). Perception of rhythm and synchronization to periodicity is indispensable for development of cognitive functions, social interaction, and adaptive behavior. We evaluated neural oscillatory activity in premature newborns (n = 19, mean age, 32 ± 2.59 weeks gestational age) during exposure to an auditory rhythmic sequence, aiming to identify early traces of periodicity encoding and rhythm processing through entrainment of neural oscillations at this stage of neurodevelopment. The rhythmic sequence elicited a systematic modulation of alpha power, synchronized to expected beat locations coinciding with both tones and rests, and independent of whether the beat was preceded by tone or rest. In addition, the periodic alpha-band fluctuations reached maximal power slightly before the corresponding beat onset times. Together, our results show neural encoding of periodicity in the premature brain involving neural oscillations in the alpha range that are much faster than the beat tempo, through alignment of alpha power to the beat tempo, consistent with observations in adults on predictive processing of temporal regularities in auditory rhythms. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: In response to the presented rhythmic pattern, systematic modulations of alpha power showed that the premature brain extracted the temporal regularity of the underlying beat. In contrast to evoked potentials, which are greatly reduced when there is no sounds event, the modulation of alpha power occurred for beats coinciding with both tones and rests in a predictive way. The findings provide the first evidence for the neural coding of periodicity in auditory rhythm perception before the age of term.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammadreza Edalati
- Inserm UMR1105, Groupe de Recherches sur l'Analyse Multimodale de la Fonction Cérébrale, Université de Picardie Jules Verve, Amiens Cedex, France
| | - Fabrice Wallois
- Inserm UMR1105, Groupe de Recherches sur l'Analyse Multimodale de la Fonction Cérébrale, Université de Picardie Jules Verve, Amiens Cedex, France
- Inserm UMR1105, EFSN Pédiatriques, Amiens University Hospital, Amiens Cedex, France
| | - Ghida Ghostine
- Inserm UMR1105, Groupe de Recherches sur l'Analyse Multimodale de la Fonction Cérébrale, Université de Picardie Jules Verve, Amiens Cedex, France
| | - Guy Kongolo
- Inserm UMR1105, Groupe de Recherches sur l'Analyse Multimodale de la Fonction Cérébrale, Université de Picardie Jules Verve, Amiens Cedex, France
| | - Laurel J Trainor
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- McMaster Institute for Music and the Mind, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Sahar Moghimi
- Inserm UMR1105, Groupe de Recherches sur l'Analyse Multimodale de la Fonction Cérébrale, Université de Picardie Jules Verve, Amiens Cedex, France
- Inserm UMR1105, EFSN Pédiatriques, Amiens University Hospital, Amiens Cedex, France
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2
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Dahary H, Rimmer C, Quintin EM. Musical Beat Perception Skills of Autistic and Neurotypical Children. J Autism Dev Disord 2024; 54:1453-1467. [PMID: 36635432 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-022-05864-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Many autistic children show musical interests and good musical skills including pitch and melodic memory. Autistic children may also perceive temporal regularities in music such as the primary beat underlying the rhythmic structure of music given some work showing preserved rhythm processing in the context of basic, nonverbal auditory stimuli. The temporal regularity and prediction of musical beats can potentially serve as an excellent framework for building skills in non-musical areas of growth for autistic children. We examine if autistic children are perceptually sensitive to the primary beat of music by comparing the musical beat perception skills of autistic and neurotypical children. Twenty-three autistic children and 23 neurotypical children aged 6-13 years with no group differences in chronological age and verbal and nonverbal mental ages completed a musical beat perception task where they identified whether beeps superimposed on musical excerpts were on or off the musical beat. Overall task performance was above the theoretical chance threshold of 50% but not the statistical chance threshold of 70% across groups. On-beat (versus off-beat) accuracy was higher for the autistic group but not the neurotypical group. The autistic group was just as accurate at detecting beat alignments (on-beat) but less precise at detecting beat misalignments (off-beat) compared to the neurotypical group. Perceptual sensitivity to beat alignments provides support for spared music processing among autistic children and informs on the accessibility of using musical beats and rhythm for cultivating related skills and behaviours (e.g., language and motor abilities).
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Affiliation(s)
- Hadas Dahary
- Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Azrieli Centre for Autism Research, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Charlotte Rimmer
- Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Eve-Marie Quintin
- Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
- Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
- Azrieli Centre for Autism Research, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
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Rimmer C, Dahary H, Quintin EM. Links between musical beat perception and phonological skills for autistic children. Child Neuropsychol 2024; 30:361-380. [PMID: 37104762 DOI: 10.1080/09297049.2023.2202902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2022] [Accepted: 04/10/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023]
Abstract
Exploring non-linguistic predictors of phonological awareness, such as musical beat perception, is valuable for children who present with language difficulties and diverse support needs. Studies on the musical abilities of children on the autism spectrum show that they have average or above-average musical production and auditory processing abilities. This study aimed to explore the relationship between musical beat perception and phonological awareness skills of children on the autism spectrum with a wide range of cognitive abilities. A total of 21 autistic children between the ages of 6 to 11 years old (M = 8.9, SD = 1.5) with full scale IQs ranging from 52 to 105 (M = 74, SD = 16) completed a beat perception and a phonological awareness task. Results revealed that phonological awareness and beat perception are positively correlated for children on the autism spectrum. Findings lend support to the potential use of beat and rhythm perception as a screening tool for early literacy skills, specifically for phonological awareness, for children with diverse support needs as an alternative to traditional verbal tasks that tend to underestimate the potential of children on the autism spectrum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte Rimmer
- Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- The Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Hadas Dahary
- Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- The Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Azrieli Centre for Autism Research, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Eve-Marie Quintin
- Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- The Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Azrieli Centre for Autism Research, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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4
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Keshavarzi M, Choisdealbha ÁN, Attaheri A, Rocha S, Brusini P, Gibbon S, Boutris P, Mead N, Olawole-Scott H, Ahmed H, Flanagan S, Mandke K, Goswami U. Decoding speech information from EEG data with 4-, 7- and 11-month-old infants: Using convolutional neural network, mutual information-based and backward linear models. J Neurosci Methods 2024; 403:110036. [PMID: 38128783 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2023.110036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2023] [Revised: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Computational models that successfully decode neural activity into speech are increasing in the adult literature, with convolutional neural networks (CNNs), backward linear models, and mutual information (MI) models all being applied to neural data in relation to speech input. This is not the case in the infant literature. NEW METHOD Three different computational models, two novel for infants, were applied to decode low-frequency speech envelope information. Previously-employed backward linear models were compared to novel CNN and MI-based models. Fifty infants provided EEG recordings when aged 4, 7, and 11 months, while listening passively to natural speech (sung or chanted nursery rhymes) presented by video with a female singer. RESULTS Each model computed speech information for these nursery rhymes in two different low-frequency bands, delta and theta, thought to provide different types of linguistic information. All three models demonstrated significant levels of performance for delta-band neural activity from 4 months of age, with two of three models also showing significant performance for theta-band activity. All models also demonstrated higher accuracy for the delta-band neural responses. None of the models showed developmental (age-related) effects. COMPARISONS WITH EXISTING METHODS The data demonstrate that the choice of algorithm used to decode speech envelope information from neural activity in the infant brain determines the developmental conclusions that can be drawn. CONCLUSIONS The modelling shows that better understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of each modelling approach is fundamental to improving our understanding of how the human brain builds a language system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahmoud Keshavarzi
- Centre for Neuroscience in Education, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK.
| | - Áine Ní Choisdealbha
- Centre for Neuroscience in Education, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Adam Attaheri
- Centre for Neuroscience in Education, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Sinead Rocha
- Centre for Neuroscience in Education, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Perrine Brusini
- Centre for Neuroscience in Education, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Samuel Gibbon
- Centre for Neuroscience in Education, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Panagiotis Boutris
- Centre for Neuroscience in Education, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Natasha Mead
- Centre for Neuroscience in Education, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Helen Olawole-Scott
- Centre for Neuroscience in Education, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Henna Ahmed
- Centre for Neuroscience in Education, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Sheila Flanagan
- Centre for Neuroscience in Education, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Kanad Mandke
- Centre for Neuroscience in Education, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Usha Goswami
- Centre for Neuroscience in Education, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
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5
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Calce RP, Rekow D, Barbero FM, Kiseleva A, Talwar S, Leleu A, Collignon O. Voice categorization in the four-month-old human brain. Curr Biol 2024; 34:46-55.e4. [PMID: 38096819 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.11.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2023] [Revised: 10/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024]
Abstract
Voices are the most relevant social sounds for humans and therefore have crucial adaptive value in development. Neuroimaging studies in adults have demonstrated the existence of regions in the superior temporal sulcus that respond preferentially to voices. Yet, whether voices represent a functionally specific category in the young infant's mind is largely unknown. We developed a highly sensitive paradigm relying on fast periodic auditory stimulation (FPAS) combined with scalp electroencephalography (EEG) to demonstrate that the infant brain implements a reliable preferential response to voices early in life. Twenty-three 4-month-old infants listened to sequences containing non-vocal sounds from different categories presented at 3.33 Hz, with highly heterogeneous vocal sounds appearing every third stimulus (1.11 Hz). We were able to isolate a voice-selective response over temporal regions, and individual voice-selective responses were found in most infants within only a few minutes of stimulation. This selective response was significantly reduced for the same frequency-scrambled sounds, indicating that voice selectivity is not simply driven by the envelope and the spectral content of the sounds. Such a robust selective response to voices as early as 4 months of age suggests that the infant brain is endowed with the ability to rapidly develop a functional selectivity to this socially relevant category of sounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberta P Calce
- Crossmodal Perception and Plasticity Laboratory, Institute of Research in Psychology (IPSY) and Institute of Neuroscience (IoNS), Université Catholique de Louvain, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
| | - Diane Rekow
- Development of Olfactory Communication and Cognition Lab, Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Université de Bourgogne, CNRS, Inrae, Institut Agro Dijon, 21000 Dijon, France; Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, University of Hamburg, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Francesca M Barbero
- Crossmodal Perception and Plasticity Laboratory, Institute of Research in Psychology (IPSY) and Institute of Neuroscience (IoNS), Université Catholique de Louvain, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Anna Kiseleva
- Development of Olfactory Communication and Cognition Lab, Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Université de Bourgogne, CNRS, Inrae, Institut Agro Dijon, 21000 Dijon, France
| | - Siddharth Talwar
- Crossmodal Perception and Plasticity Laboratory, Institute of Research in Psychology (IPSY) and Institute of Neuroscience (IoNS), Université Catholique de Louvain, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Arnaud Leleu
- Development of Olfactory Communication and Cognition Lab, Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Université de Bourgogne, CNRS, Inrae, Institut Agro Dijon, 21000 Dijon, France
| | - Olivier Collignon
- Crossmodal Perception and Plasticity Laboratory, Institute of Research in Psychology (IPSY) and Institute of Neuroscience (IoNS), Université Catholique de Louvain, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium; School of Health Sciences, HES-SO Valais-Wallis, The Sense Innovation and Research Center, 1007 Lausanne & Sion, Switzerland.
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6
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Schiavio A, Witek MAG, Stupacher J. Meaning-making and creativity in musical entrainment. Front Psychol 2024; 14:1326773. [PMID: 38235276 PMCID: PMC10792053 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1326773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024] Open
Abstract
In this paper we suggest that basic forms of musical entrainment may be considered as intrinsically creative, enabling further creative behaviors which may flourish at different levels and timescales. Rooted in an agent's capacity to form meaningful couplings with their sonic, social, and cultural environment, musical entrainment favors processes of adaptation and exploration, where innovative and functional aspects are cultivated via active, bodily experience. We explore these insights through a theoretical lens that integrates findings from enactive cognitive science and creative cognition research. We center our examination on the realms of groove experience and the communicative and emotional dimensions of music, aiming to present a novel preliminary perspective on musical entrainment, rooted in the fundamental concepts of meaning-making and creativity. To do so, we draw from a suite of approaches that place particular emphasis on the role of situated experience and review a range of recent empirical work on entrainment (in musical and non-musical settings), emphasizing the latter's biological and cognitive foundations. We conclude that musical entrainment may be regarded as a building block for different musical creativities that shape one's musical development, offering a concrete example for how this theory could be empirically tested in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Schiavio
- School of Arts and Creative Technologies, University of York, York, United Kingdom
- Centre for Systematic Musicology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Maria A. G. Witek
- Department of Music, School of Languages, Cultures, Art History and Music, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Jan Stupacher
- Center for Music in the Brain, Aarhus University and The Royal Academy of Music Aarhus/Aalborg, Aarhus, Denmark
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Köster M, Brzozowska A, Bánki A, Tünte M, Ward EK, Hoehl S. Rhythmic visual stimulation as a window into early brain development: A systematic review. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2023; 64:101315. [PMID: 37948945 PMCID: PMC10663747 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2023.101315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Revised: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Rhythmic visual stimulation (RVS), the periodic presentation of visual stimuli to elicit a rhythmic brain response, is increasingly applied to reveal insights into early neurocognitive development. Our systematic review identified 69 studies applying RVS in 0- to 6-year-olds. RVS has long been used to study the development of the visual system and applications have more recently been expanded to uncover higher cognitive functions in the developing brain, including overt and covert attention, face and object perception, numeral cognition, and predictive processing. These insights are owed to the unique benefits of RVS, such as the targeted frequency and stimulus-specific neural responses, as well as a remarkable signal-to-noise ratio. Yet, neural mechanisms underlying the RVS response are still poorly understood. We discuss critical challenges and avenues for future research, and the unique potentials the method holds. With this review, we provide a resource for researchers interested in the breadth of developmental RVS research and hope to inspire the future use of this cutting-edge method in developmental cognitive neuroscience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moritz Köster
- University of Regensburg, Institute of Psychology, Germany.
| | | | - Anna Bánki
- University of Vienna, Faculty of Psychology, Austria
| | - Markus Tünte
- University of Vienna, Faculty of Psychology, Austria
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8
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Nguyen T, Reisner S, Lueger A, Wass SV, Hoehl S, Markova G. Sing to me, baby: Infants show neural tracking and rhythmic movements to live and dynamic maternal singing. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2023; 64:101313. [PMID: 37879243 PMCID: PMC10618693 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2023.101313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Revised: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Infant-directed singing has unique acoustic characteristics that may allow even very young infants to respond to the rhythms carried through the caregiver's voice. The goal of this study was to examine neural and movement responses to live and dynamic maternal singing in 7-month-old infants and their relation to linguistic development. In total, 60 mother-infant dyads were observed during two singing conditions (playsong and lullaby). In Study 1 (n = 30), we measured infant EEG and used an encoding approach utilizing ridge regressions to measure neural tracking. In Study 2 (n =40), we coded infant rhythmic movements. In both studies, we assessed children's vocabulary when they were 20 months old. In Study 1, we found above-threshold neural tracking of maternal singing, with superior tracking of lullabies than playsongs. We also found that the acoustic features of infant-directed singing modulated tracking. In Study 2, infants showed more rhythmic movement to playsongs than lullabies. Importantly, neural coordination (Study 1) and rhythmic movement (Study 2) to playsongs were positively related to infants' expressive vocabulary at 20 months. These results highlight the importance of infants' brain and movement coordination to their caregiver's musical presentations, potentially as a function of musical variability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trinh Nguyen
- Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Liebiggasse 5, 1010 Vienna, Austria; Neuroscience of Perception and Action Lab, Italian Institute of Technology, Viale Regina Elena 291, 00161 Rome, Italy.
| | - Susanne Reisner
- Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Liebiggasse 5, 1010 Vienna, Austria
| | - Anja Lueger
- Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Liebiggasse 5, 1010 Vienna, Austria
| | - Samuel V Wass
- Department of Psychology, University of East London, University Way, London E16 2RD, United Kingdom
| | - Stefanie Hoehl
- Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Liebiggasse 5, 1010 Vienna, Austria
| | - Gabriela Markova
- Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Liebiggasse 5, 1010 Vienna, Austria; Institute for Early Life Care, Paracelsus Medical University, Strubergasse 13, 5020 Salzburg, Austria.
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9
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Ortiz-Barajas MC, Guevara R, Gervain J. Neural oscillations and speech processing at birth. iScience 2023; 26:108187. [PMID: 37965146 PMCID: PMC10641252 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2022] [Revised: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Are neural oscillations biologically endowed building blocks of the neural architecture for speech processing from birth, or do they require experience to emerge? In adults, delta, theta, and low-gamma oscillations support the simultaneous processing of phrasal, syllabic, and phonemic units in the speech signal, respectively. Using electroencephalography to investigate neural oscillations in the newborn brain we reveal that delta and theta oscillations differ for rhythmically different languages, suggesting that these bands underlie newborns' universal ability to discriminate languages on the basis of rhythm. Additionally, higher theta activity during post-stimulus as compared to pre-stimulus rest suggests that stimulation after-effects are present from birth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Clemencia Ortiz-Barajas
- Integrative Neuroscience and Cognition Center, CNRS & Université Paris Cité, 45 rue des Saints-Pères, 75006 Paris, France
| | - Ramón Guevara
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Padua, Via Marzolo 8, 35131 Padua, Italy
| | - Judit Gervain
- Integrative Neuroscience and Cognition Center, CNRS & Université Paris Cité, 45 rue des Saints-Pères, 75006 Paris, France
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Padua, Via Venezia 8, 35131 Padua, Italy
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10
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Bentley LA, Eager R, Savage S, Nielson C, White SLJ, Williams KE. A translational application of music for preschool cognitive development: RCT evidence for improved executive function, self-regulation, and school readiness. Dev Sci 2023; 26:e13358. [PMID: 36511452 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2022] [Revised: 10/27/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The benefits of active music participation and training for cognitive development have been evidenced in multiple studies, with this link leveraged in music therapy approaches with clinical populations. Although music, rhythm, and movement activities are widely integrated into children's play and early education, few studies have systematically translated music therapy-based approaches to a nonclinical population to support early cognitive development. This study reports the follow-up effects of the Rhythm and Movement for Self Regulation (RAMSR) program delivered by generalist preschool teachers in low socioeconomic communities. This randomized control trial (RCT) involved 213 children across eight preschools in disadvantaged communities in Queensland, Australia. The intervention group received 16-20 sessions of RAMSR over 8 weeks, while the control group undertook usual preschool programs. Primary outcome measures included executive function (child assessment of shifting, working memory, and inhibition) and self-regulation (teacher report), with secondary outcomes of school readiness and visual-motor integration. Data were collected pre- and post-intervention, and again 6 months later once children had transitioned into school. Results demonstrated significant intervention effects across the three time points for school readiness (p = 0.038, ηp 2 = 0.09), self-regulation (p < 0.001, ηp 2 = 0.08), and inhibition (p = 0.002 ηp 2 = 0.23). Additionally, the feasibility of building capacity in teachers without any music background to successfully deliver the program was evidenced. These findings are important given that children from low socioeconomic backgrounds are more likely to need support for cognitive development yet have inequitable access to quality music and movement programs. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Initial effects of self-regulation from a rhythm and movement program were sustained following transition into school for children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Delayed effects of inhibition and school readiness from a rhythm and movement program appeared 6 months post-intervention as children entered school. Generalist teachers can successfully implement a rhythm and movement program, which boosts critical developmental cognitive skills.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura A Bentley
- Centre for Child and Family Studies, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Rebecca Eager
- Centre for Child and Family Studies, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Sally Savage
- Centre for Child and Family Studies, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Cathy Nielson
- Centre for Child and Family Studies, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Sonia L J White
- Centre for Child and Family Studies, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Kate E Williams
- Centre for Child and Family Studies, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
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11
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Lenc T, Peter V, Hooper C, Keller PE, Burnham D, Nozaradan S. Infants show enhanced neural responses to musical meter frequencies beyond low-level features. Dev Sci 2023; 26:e13353. [PMID: 36415027 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2022] [Revised: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Music listening often entails spontaneous perception and body movement to a periodic pulse-like meter. There is increasing evidence that this cross-cultural ability relates to neural processes that selectively enhance metric periodicities, even when these periodicities are not prominent in the acoustic stimulus. However, whether these neural processes emerge early in development remains largely unknown. Here, we recorded the electroencephalogram (EEG) of 20 healthy 5- to 6-month-old infants, while they were exposed to two rhythms known to induce the perception of meter consistently across Western adults. One rhythm contained prominent acoustic periodicities corresponding to the meter, whereas the other rhythm did not. Infants showed significantly enhanced representations of meter periodicities in their EEG responses to both rhythms. This effect is unlikely to reflect the tracking of salient acoustic features in the stimulus, as it was observed irrespective of the prominence of meter periodicities in the audio signals. Moreover, as previously observed in adults, the neural enhancement of meter was greater when the rhythm was delivered by low-pitched sounds. Together, these findings indicate that the endogenous enhancement of metric periodicities beyond low-level acoustic features is a neural property that is already present soon after birth. These high-level neural processes could set the stage for internal representations of musical meter that are critical for human movement coordination during rhythmic musical behavior. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: 5- to 6-month-old infants were presented with auditory rhythms that induce the perception of a periodic pulse-like meter in adults. Infants showed selective enhancement of EEG activity at meter-related frequencies irrespective of the prominence of these frequencies in the stimulus. Responses at meter-related frequencies were boosted when the rhythm was conveyed by bass sounds. High-level neural processes that transform rhythmic auditory stimuli into internal meter templates emerge early after birth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomas Lenc
- Institute of Neuroscience (IONS), Université catholique de Louvain (UCL), Brussels, Belgium
- MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Varghese Peter
- MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia
- School of Health and Behavioural Sciences, University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia
| | - Caitlin Hooper
- MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Peter E Keller
- MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia
- Center for Music in the Brain & Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Denis Burnham
- MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Sylvie Nozaradan
- Institute of Neuroscience (IONS), Université catholique de Louvain (UCL), Brussels, Belgium
- MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia
- International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research (BRAMS), Montreal, Canada
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12
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Hunter S, Flaten E, Petersen C, Gervain J, Werker JF, Trainor LJ, Finlay BB. Babies, bugs and brains: How the early microbiome associates with infant brain and behavior development. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0288689. [PMID: 37556397 PMCID: PMC10411758 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0288689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2023] [Accepted: 06/30/2023] [Indexed: 08/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Growing evidence is demonstrating the connection between the microbiota gut-brain axis and neurodevelopment. Microbiota colonization occurs before the maturation of many neural systems and is linked to brain health. Because of this it has been hypothesized that the early microbiome interactions along the gut-brain axis evolved to promote advanced cognitive functions and behaviors. Here, we performed a pilot study with a multidisciplinary approach to test if the microbiota composition of infants is associated with measures of early cognitive development, in particular neural rhythm tracking; language (forward speech) versus non-language (backwards speech) discrimination; and social joint attention. Fecal samples were collected from 56 infants between four and six months of age and sequenced by shotgun metagenomic sequencing. Of these, 44 performed the behavioral Point and Gaze test to measure joint attention. Infants were tested on either language discrimination using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS; 25 infants had usable data) or neural rhythm tracking using electroencephalogram (EEG; 15 had usable data). Infants who succeeded at the Point and Gaze test tended to have increased Actinobacteria and reduced Firmicutes at the phylum level; and an increase in Bifidobacterium and Eggerthella along with a reduction in Hungatella and Streptococcus at the genus level. Measurements of neural rhythm tracking associated negatively to the abundance of Bifidobacterium and positively to the abundance of Clostridium and Enterococcus for the bacterial abundances, and associated positively to metabolic pathways that can influence neurodevelopment, including branched chain amino acid biosynthesis and pentose phosphate pathways. No associations were found for the fNIRS language discrimination measurements. Although the tests were underpowered due to the small pilot sample sizes, potential associations were identified between the microbiome and measurements of early cognitive development that are worth exploring further.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Hunter
- Michael Smith Laboratories, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Erica Flaten
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Charisse Petersen
- Department of Pediatrics, BC Children’s Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- British Columbia Children’s Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Judit Gervain
- University of Padua, Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, Padua, Italy
- University of Padua, Padova Neuroscience Center, Padua, Italy
- Université Paris Cité & CNRS, Integrative Neuroscience and Cognition Center, Paris, France
| | - Janet F. Werker
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Laurel J. Trainor
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- McMaster Institute for Music and the Mind, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Brett B. Finlay
- Michael Smith Laboratories, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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13
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Singh M, Mehr SA. Universality, domain-specificity, and development of psychological responses to music. NATURE REVIEWS PSYCHOLOGY 2023; 2:333-346. [PMID: 38143935 PMCID: PMC10745197 DOI: 10.1038/s44159-023-00182-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023]
Abstract
Humans can find music happy, sad, fearful, or spiritual. They can be soothed by it or urged to dance. Whether these psychological responses reflect cognitive adaptations that evolved expressly for responding to music is an ongoing topic of study. In this Review, we examine three features of music-related psychological responses that help to elucidate whether the underlying cognitive systems are specialized adaptations: universality, domain-specificity, and early expression. Focusing on emotional and behavioural responses, we find evidence that the relevant psychological mechanisms are universal and arise early in development. However, the existing evidence cannot establish that these mechanisms are domain-specific. To the contrary, many findings suggest that universal psychological responses to music reflect more general properties of emotion, auditory perception, and other human cognitive capacities that evolved for non-musical purposes. Cultural evolution, driven by the tinkering of musical performers, evidently crafts music to compellingly appeal to shared psychological mechanisms, resulting in both universal patterns (such as form-function associations) and culturally idiosyncratic styles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manvir Singh
- Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse, University of
Toulouse 1 Capitole, Toulouse, France
| | - Samuel A. Mehr
- Yale Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT,
USA
- School of Psychology, University of Auckland, Auckland,
New Zealand
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14
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Fiveash A, Ferreri L, Bouwer FL, Kösem A, Moghimi S, Ravignani A, Keller PE, Tillmann B. Can rhythm-mediated reward boost learning, memory, and social connection? Perspectives for future research. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 149:105153. [PMID: 37019245 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2022] [Revised: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 03/31/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2023]
Abstract
Studies of rhythm processing and of reward have progressed separately, with little connection between the two. However, consistent links between rhythm and reward are beginning to surface, with research suggesting that synchronization to rhythm is rewarding, and that this rewarding element may in turn also boost this synchronization. The current mini review shows that the combined study of rhythm and reward can be beneficial to better understand their independent and combined roles across two central aspects of cognition: 1) learning and memory, and 2) social connection and interpersonal synchronization; which have so far been studied largely independently. From this basis, it is discussed how connections between rhythm and reward can be applied to learning and memory and social connection across different populations, taking into account individual differences, clinical populations, human development, and animal research. Future research will need to consider the rewarding nature of rhythm, and that rhythm can in turn boost reward, potentially enhancing other cognitive and social processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Fiveash
- Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, CRNL, CNRS, UMR 5292, INSERM U1028, F-69000 Lyon, France; University of Lyon 1, Lyon, France; The MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia.
| | - L Ferreri
- Department of Brain and Behavioural Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy; Laboratoire d'Étude des Mécanismes Cognitifs, Université Lumière Lyon 2, Lyon, France
| | - F L Bouwer
- Department of Psychology, Brain and Cognition, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - A Kösem
- Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, CRNL, CNRS, UMR 5292, INSERM U1028, F-69000 Lyon, France
| | - S Moghimi
- Groupe de Recherches sur l'Analyse Multimodale de la Fonction Cérébrale, INSERM U1105, Amiens, France
| | - A Ravignani
- Comparative Bioacoustics Group, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, 6525 XD Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Center for Music in the Brain, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University & The Royal Academy of Music Aarhus/Aalborg, Denmark
| | - P E Keller
- The MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia; Center for Music in the Brain, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University & The Royal Academy of Music Aarhus/Aalborg, Denmark
| | - B Tillmann
- Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, CRNL, CNRS, UMR 5292, INSERM U1028, F-69000 Lyon, France; University of Lyon 1, Lyon, France; Laboratory for Research on Learning and Development, LEAD - CNRS UMR5022, Université de Bourgogne, Dijon, France
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15
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Cortical encoding of rhythmic kinematic structures in biological motion. Neuroimage 2023; 268:119893. [PMID: 36693597 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.119893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Revised: 01/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Biological motion (BM) perception is of great survival value to human beings. The critical characteristics of BM information lie in kinematic cues containing rhythmic structures. However, how rhythmic kinematic structures of BM are dynamically represented in the brain and contribute to visual BM processing remains largely unknown. Here, we probed this issue in three experiments using electroencephalogram (EEG). We found that neural oscillations of observers entrained to the hierarchical kinematic structures of the BM sequences (i.e., step-cycle and gait-cycle for point-light walkers). Notably, only the cortical tracking of the higher-level rhythmic structure (i.e., gait-cycle) exhibited a BM processing specificity, manifested by enhanced neural responses to upright over inverted BM stimuli. This effect could be extended to different motion types and tasks, with its strength positively correlated with the perceptual sensitivity to BM stimuli at the right temporal brain region dedicated to visual BM processing. Modeling results further suggest that the neural encoding of spatiotemporally integrative kinematic cues, in particular the opponent motions of bilateral limbs, drives the selective cortical tracking of BM information. These findings underscore the existence of a cortical mechanism that encodes periodic kinematic features of body movements, which underlies the dynamic construction of visual BM perception.
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16
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Understanding why infant-directed speech supports learning: A dynamic attention perspective. DEVELOPMENTAL REVIEW 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.dr.2022.101047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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17
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Preterm neonates distinguish rhythm violation through a hierarchy of cortical processing. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2022; 58:101168. [PMID: 36335806 PMCID: PMC9638730 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2022.101168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2021] [Revised: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Rhythm is a fundamental component of the auditory world, present even during the prenatal life. While there is evidence that some auditory capacities are already present before birth, whether and how the premature neural networks process auditory rhythm is yet not known. We investigated the neural response of premature neonates at 30-34 weeks gestational age to violations from rhythmic regularities in an auditory sequence using high-resolution electroencephalography and event-related potentials. Unpredicted rhythm violations elicited a fronto-central mismatch response, indicating that the premature neonates detected the rhythmic regularities. Next, we examined the cortical effective connectivity underlying the elicited mismatch response using dynamic causal modeling. We examined the connectivity between cortical sources using a set of 16 generative models that embedded alternate hypotheses about the role of the frontal cortex as well as backward fronto-temporal connection. Our results demonstrated that the processing of rhythm violations was not limited to the primary auditory areas, and as in the case of adults, encompassed a hierarchy of temporo-frontal cortical structures. The result also emphasized the importance of top-down (backward) projections from the frontal cortex in explaining the mismatch response. Our findings demonstrate a sophisticated cortical structure underlying predictive rhythm processing at the onset of the thalamocortical and cortico-cortical circuits, two months before term.
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18
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Frischen U, Degé F, Schwarzer G. The relation between rhythm processing and cognitive abilities during child development: The role of prediction. Front Psychol 2022; 13:920513. [PMID: 36211925 PMCID: PMC9539453 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.920513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Rhythm and meter are central elements of music. From the very beginning, children are responsive to rhythms and acquire increasingly complex rhythmic skills over the course of development. Previous research has shown that the processing of musical rhythm is not only related to children’s music-specific responses but also to their cognitive abilities outside the domain of music. However, despite a lot of research on that topic, the connections and underlying mechanisms involved in such relation are still unclear in some respects. In this article, we aim at analyzing the relation between rhythmic and cognitive-motor abilities during childhood and at providing a new hypothesis about this relation. We consider whether predictive processing may be involved in the relation between rhythmic and various cognitive abilities and hypothesize that prediction as a cross-domain process is a central mechanism building a bridge between rhythm processing and cognitive-motor abilities. Further empirical studies focusing on rhythm processing and cognitive-motor abilities are needed to precisely investigate the links between rhythmic, predictive, and cognitive processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrike Frischen
- Department of Music, University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
- *Correspondence: Ulrike Frischen,
| | - Franziska Degé
- Music Department, Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Gudrun Schwarzer
- Department of Developmental Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Sports Science, University of Giessen, Giessen, Germany
- Gudrun Schwarzer,
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19
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Hervé E, Mento G, Desnous B, François C. Challenges and new perspectives of developmental cognitive EEG studies. Neuroimage 2022; 260:119508. [PMID: 35882267 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Revised: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 07/22/2022] [Indexed: 10/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite shared procedures with adults, electroencephalography (EEG) in early development presents many specificities that need to be considered for good quality data collection. In this paper, we provide an overview of the most representative early cognitive developmental EEG studies focusing on the specificities of this neuroimaging technique in young participants, such as attrition and artifacts. We also summarize the most representative results in developmental EEG research obtained in the time and time-frequency domains and use more advanced signal processing methods. Finally, we briefly introduce three recent standardized pipelines that will help promote replicability and comparability across experiments and ages. While this paper does not claim to be exhaustive, it aims to give a sufficiently large overview of the challenges and solutions available to conduct robust cognitive developmental EEG studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Estelle Hervé
- CNRS, LPL, Aix-Marseille University, 5 Avenue Pasteur, Aix-en-Provence 13100, France
| | - Giovanni Mento
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova 35131, Italy; Padua Neuroscience Center (PNC), University of Padova, Padova 35131, Italy
| | - Béatrice Desnous
- APHM, Reference Center for Rare Epilepsies, Timone Children Hospital, Aix-Marseille University, Marseille 13005, France; Inserm, INS, Aix-Marseille University, Marseille 13005, France
| | - Clément François
- CNRS, LPL, Aix-Marseille University, 5 Avenue Pasteur, Aix-en-Provence 13100, France.
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20
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Kabdebon C, Fló A, de Heering A, Aslin R. The power of rhythms: how steady-state evoked responses reveal early neurocognitive development. Neuroimage 2022; 254:119150. [PMID: 35351649 PMCID: PMC9294992 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Revised: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Electroencephalography (EEG) is a non-invasive and painless recording of cerebral activity, particularly well-suited for studying young infants, allowing the inspection of cerebral responses in a constellation of different ways. Of particular interest for developmental cognitive neuroscientists is the use of rhythmic stimulation, and the analysis of steady-state evoked potentials (SS-EPs) - an approach also known as frequency tagging. In this paper we rely on the existing SS-EP early developmental literature to illustrate the important advantages of SS-EPs for studying the developing brain. We argue that (1) the technique is both objective and predictive: the response is expected at the stimulation frequency (and/or higher harmonics), (2) its high spectral specificity makes the computed responses particularly robust to artifacts, and (3) the technique allows for short and efficient recordings, compatible with infants' limited attentional spans. We additionally provide an overview of some recent inspiring use of the SS-EP technique in adult research, in order to argue that (4) the SS-EP approach can be implemented creatively to target a wide range of cognitive and neural processes. For all these reasons, we expect SS-EPs to play an increasing role in the understanding of early cognitive processes. Finally, we provide practical guidelines for implementing and analyzing SS-EP studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire Kabdebon
- Laboratoire de Sciences Cognitives et Psycholinguistique, Département d'études cognitives, ENS, EHESS, CNRS, PSL University, Paris, France; Haskins Laboratories, New Haven, CT, USA.
| | - Ana Fló
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CNRS ERL 9003, INSERM U992, CEA, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin Center, Gif/Yvette, France
| | - Adélaïde de Heering
- Center for Research in Cognition & Neuroscience (CRCN), Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Richard Aslin
- Haskins Laboratories, New Haven, CT, USA; Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
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21
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Bánki A, Brzozowska A, Hoehl S, Köster M. Neural Entrainment vs. Stimulus-Tracking: A Conceptual Challenge for Rhythmic Perceptual Stimulation in Developmental Neuroscience. Front Psychol 2022; 13:878984. [PMID: 35602682 PMCID: PMC9121997 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.878984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Bánki
- Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- *Correspondence: Anna Bánki
| | | | - Stefanie Hoehl
- Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Moritz Köster
- Institute of Psychology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
- Faculty of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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22
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Flaten E, Marshall SA, Dittrich A, Trainor L. Evidence for Top-down Meter Perception in Infancy as Shown by Primed Neural Responses to an Ambiguous Rhythm. Eur J Neurosci 2022; 55:2003-2023. [PMID: 35445451 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2021] [Revised: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
From auditory rhythm patterns, listeners extract the underlying steady beat, and perceptually group beats to form meters. While previous studies show infants discriminate different auditory meters, it remains unknown whether they can maintain (imagine) a metrical interpretation of an ambiguous rhythm through top-down processes. We investigated this via electroencephalographic mismatch responses. We primed 6-month-old infants (N = 24) to hear a 6-beat ambiguous rhythm either in duple meter (n = 13), or in triple meter (n = 11) through loudness accents either on every second or every third beat. Periods of priming were inserted before sequences of the ambiguous unaccented rhythm. To elicit mismatch responses, occasional pitch deviants occurred on either beat 4 (strong beat in triple meter; weak in duple) or beat 5 (strong in duple; weak in triple) of the unaccented trials. At frontal left sites, we found a significant interaction between beat and priming group in the predicted direction. Post-hoc analyses showed mismatch response amplitudes were significantly larger for beat 5 in the duple- than triple-primed group (p = .047) and were non-significantly larger for beat 4 in the triple- than duple-primed group. Further, amplitudes were generally larger in infants with musically experienced parents. At frontal right sites, mismatch responses were generally larger for those in the duple compared to triple group, which may reflect a processing advantage for duple meter. These results indicate infants can impose a top-down, internally generated meter on ambiguous auditory rhythms, an ability that would aid early language and music learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erica Flaten
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, McMaster University
| | - Sara A Marshall
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, McMaster University
| | - Angela Dittrich
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, McMaster University
| | - Laurel Trainor
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, McMaster University.,McMaster Institute for Music and the Mind, McMaster University.,Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
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23
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Attaheri A, Panayiotou D, Phillips A, Ní Choisdealbha Á, Di Liberto GM, Rocha S, Brusini P, Mead N, Flanagan S, Olawole-Scott H, Goswami U. Cortical Tracking of Sung Speech in Adults vs Infants: A Developmental Analysis. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:842447. [PMID: 35495026 PMCID: PMC9039340 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.842447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Here we duplicate a neural tracking paradigm, previously published with infants (aged 4 to 11 months), with adult participants, in order to explore potential developmental similarities and differences in entrainment. Adults listened and watched passively as nursery rhymes were sung or chanted in infant-directed speech. Whole-head EEG (128 channels) was recorded, and cortical tracking of the sung speech in the delta (0.5–4 Hz), theta (4–8 Hz) and alpha (8–12 Hz) frequency bands was computed using linear decoders (multivariate Temporal Response Function models, mTRFs). Phase-amplitude coupling (PAC) was also computed to assess whether delta and theta phases temporally organize higher-frequency amplitudes for adults in the same pattern as found in the infant brain. Similar to previous infant participants, the adults showed significant cortical tracking of the sung speech in both delta and theta bands. However, the frequencies associated with peaks in stimulus-induced spectral power (PSD) in the two populations were different. PAC was also different in the adults compared to the infants. PAC was stronger for theta- versus delta- driven coupling in adults but was equal for delta- versus theta-driven coupling in infants. Adults also showed a stimulus-induced increase in low alpha power that was absent in infants. This may suggest adult recruitment of other cognitive processes, possibly related to comprehension or attention. The comparative data suggest that while infant and adult brains utilize essentially the same cortical mechanisms to track linguistic input, the operation of and interplay between these mechanisms may change with age and language experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Attaheri
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience in Education, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- *Correspondence: Adam Attaheri,
| | - Dimitris Panayiotou
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience in Education, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Alessia Phillips
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience in Education, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Áine Ní Choisdealbha
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience in Education, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Giovanni M. Di Liberto
- School of Computer Science and Statistics, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Laboratoire des Systèmes Perceptifs, UMR 8248, CNRS, Ecole Normale Supérieure, PSL Research University, Paris, France
| | - Sinead Rocha
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience in Education, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Perrine Brusini
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience in Education, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Institute of Population Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Natasha Mead
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience in Education, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Sheila Flanagan
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience in Education, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Helen Olawole-Scott
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience in Education, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Usha Goswami
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience in Education, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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24
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Wass SV, Perapoch Amadó M, Ives J. Oscillatory entrainment to our early social or physical environment and the emergence of volitional control. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2022; 54:101102. [PMID: 35398645 PMCID: PMC9010552 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2022.101102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Revised: 02/18/2022] [Accepted: 03/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
An individual's early interactions with their environment are thought to be largely passive; through the early years, the capacity for volitional control develops. Here, we consider: how is the emergence of volitional control characterised by changes in the entrainment observed between internal activity (behaviour, physiology and brain activity) and the sights and sounds in our everyday environment (physical and social)? We differentiate between contingent responsiveness (entrainment driven by evoked responses to external events) and oscillatory entrainment (driven by internal oscillators becoming temporally aligned with external oscillators). We conclude that ample evidence suggests that children show behavioural, physiological and neural entrainment to their physical and social environment, irrespective of volitional attention control; however, evidence for oscillatory entrainment beyond contingent responsiveness is currently lacking. Evidence for how oscillatory entrainment changes over developmental time is also lacking. Finally, we suggest a mechanism through which periodic environmental rhythms might facilitate both sensory processing and the development of volitional control even in the absence of oscillatory entrainment.
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Affiliation(s)
- S V Wass
- Department of Psychology, University of East London, UK.
| | | | - J Ives
- Department of Psychology, University of East London, UK
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25
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Tichko P, Kim JC, Large EW. A Dynamical, Radically Embodied, and Ecological Theory of Rhythm Development. Front Psychol 2022; 13:653696. [PMID: 35282203 PMCID: PMC8907845 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.653696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2021] [Accepted: 01/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Musical rhythm abilities-the perception of and coordinated action to the rhythmic structure of music-undergo remarkable change over human development. In the current paper, we introduce a theoretical framework for modeling the development of musical rhythm. The framework, based on Neural Resonance Theory (NRT), explains rhythm development in terms of resonance and attunement, which are formalized using a general theory that includes non-linear resonance and Hebbian plasticity. First, we review the developmental literature on musical rhythm, highlighting several developmental processes related to rhythm perception and action. Next, we offer an exposition of Neural Resonance Theory and argue that elements of the theory are consistent with dynamical, radically embodied (i.e., non-representational) and ecological approaches to cognition and development. We then discuss how dynamical models, implemented as self-organizing networks of neural oscillations with Hebbian plasticity, predict key features of music development. We conclude by illustrating how the notions of dynamical embodiment, resonance, and attunement provide a conceptual language for characterizing musical rhythm development, and, when formalized in physiologically informed dynamical models, provide a theoretical framework for generating testable empirical predictions about musical rhythm development, such as the kinds of native and non-native rhythmic structures infants and children can learn, steady-state evoked potentials to native and non-native musical rhythms, and the effects of short-term (e.g., infant bouncing, infant music classes), long-term (e.g., perceptual narrowing to musical rhythm), and very-long term (e.g., music enculturation, musical training) learning on music perception-action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parker Tichko
- Department of Music, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Ji Chul Kim
- Perception, Action, Cognition (PAC) Division, Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Mansfield, CT, United States
| | - Edward W. Large
- Perception, Action, Cognition (PAC) Division, Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Mansfield, CT, United States
- Center for the Ecological Study of Perception and Action (CESPA), Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Mansfield, CT, United States
- Department of Physics, University of Connecticut, Mansfield, CT, United States
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26
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Papadimitriou A, Smyth C, Politimou N, Franco F, Stewart L. The impact of the home musical environment on infants' language development. Infant Behav Dev 2021; 65:101651. [PMID: 34784522 DOI: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2021.101651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2020] [Revised: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 09/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
There is strong evidence that musical engagement influences children's language development but little research has been carried out on the relationship between the home musical environment and language development in infancy. The current study assessed musical exposure at home (including parental singing) and language development in 64 infants (8.5-18 months). Results showed that the home musical environment significantly predicted gesture development. For a subgroup of infants' below 12 months, both parental singing and overall home musical environment score significantly predicted word comprehension. These findings represent the first demonstration that an enriched musical environment in infancy can promote development of communication skills.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aspasia Papadimitriou
- Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths University of London, 8 Lewisham Way, New Cross, London, SE14 6NW, United Kingdom
| | - Catherine Smyth
- Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths University of London, 8 Lewisham Way, New Cross, London, SE14 6NW, United Kingdom
| | - Nina Politimou
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, UCL Institute of Education, 20 Bedford Way, London, WC1H 0AL, United Kingdom.
| | - Fabia Franco
- Department of Psychology, Middlesex University London, The Burroughs, Hendon, London, NW4 4BT, United Kingdom
| | - Lauren Stewart
- Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths University of London, 8 Lewisham Way, New Cross, London, SE14 6NW, United Kingdom
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27
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Attaheri A, Choisdealbha ÁN, Di Liberto GM, Rocha S, Brusini P, Mead N, Olawole-Scott H, Boutris P, Gibbon S, Williams I, Grey C, Flanagan S, Goswami U. Delta- and theta-band cortical tracking and phase-amplitude coupling to sung speech by infants. Neuroimage 2021; 247:118698. [PMID: 34798233 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Revised: 10/15/2021] [Accepted: 10/30/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The amplitude envelope of speech carries crucial low-frequency acoustic information that assists linguistic decoding at multiple time scales. Neurophysiological signals are known to track the amplitude envelope of adult-directed speech (ADS), particularly in the theta-band. Acoustic analysis of infant-directed speech (IDS) has revealed significantly greater modulation energy than ADS in an amplitude-modulation (AM) band centred on ∼2 Hz. Accordingly, cortical tracking of IDS by delta-band neural signals may be key to language acquisition. Speech also contains acoustic information within its higher-frequency bands (beta, gamma). Adult EEG and MEG studies reveal an oscillatory hierarchy, whereby low-frequency (delta, theta) neural phase dynamics temporally organize the amplitude of high-frequency signals (phase amplitude coupling, PAC). Whilst consensus is growing around the role of PAC in the matured adult brain, its role in the development of speech processing is unexplored. Here, we examined the presence and maturation of low-frequency (<12 Hz) cortical speech tracking in infants by recording EEG longitudinally from 60 participants when aged 4-, 7- and 11- months as they listened to nursery rhymes. After establishing stimulus-related neural signals in delta and theta, cortical tracking at each age was assessed in the delta, theta and alpha [control] bands using a multivariate temporal response function (mTRF) method. Delta-beta, delta-gamma, theta-beta and theta-gamma phase-amplitude coupling (PAC) was also assessed. Significant delta and theta but not alpha tracking was found. Significant PAC was present at all ages, with both delta and theta -driven coupling observed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Attaheri
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience in Education, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3 EB, United Kingdom.
| | - Áine Ní Choisdealbha
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience in Education, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3 EB, United Kingdom.
| | - Giovanni M Di Liberto
- Laboratoire des Systèmes Perceptifs, UMR 8248, CNRS, France; Ecole Normale Supérieure, PSL University, France; Department of Mechanical, Trinity Centre for Biomedical Engineering and Trinity Institute of Neuroscience, Manufacturing and Biomedical Engineering, Trinity College, The University of Dublin, Ireland; School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and UCD Centre for Biomedical Engineering, University College Dublin, Ireland.
| | - Sinead Rocha
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience in Education, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3 EB, United Kingdom.
| | - Perrine Brusini
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience in Education, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3 EB, United Kingdom; Institute of Population Health, Waterhouse Building, Block B, Brownlow Street, Liverpool L69 3GF, United Kingdom.
| | - Natasha Mead
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience in Education, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3 EB, United Kingdom.
| | - Helen Olawole-Scott
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience in Education, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3 EB, United Kingdom.
| | - Panagiotis Boutris
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience in Education, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3 EB, United Kingdom.
| | - Samuel Gibbon
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience in Education, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3 EB, United Kingdom.
| | - Isabel Williams
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience in Education, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3 EB, United Kingdom.
| | - Christina Grey
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience in Education, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3 EB, United Kingdom.
| | - Sheila Flanagan
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience in Education, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3 EB, United Kingdom.
| | - Usha Goswami
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience in Education, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3 EB, United Kingdom.
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28
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Nave KM, Hannon EE, Snyder JS. Steady state-evoked potentials of subjective beat perception in musical rhythms. Psychophysiology 2021; 59:e13963. [PMID: 34743347 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2020] [Revised: 09/21/2021] [Accepted: 10/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Synchronization of movement to music is a seemingly universal human capacity that depends on sustained beat perception. Previous research has suggested that listener's conscious perception of the musical structure (e.g., beat and meter) might be reflected in neural responses that follow the frequency of the beat. However, the extent to which these neural responses directly reflect concurrent, listener-reported perception of musical beat versus stimulus-driven activity is understudied. We investigated whether steady state-evoked potentials (SSEPs), measured using electroencephalography (EEG), reflect conscious perception of beat by holding the stimulus constant while contextually manipulating listeners' perception and measuring perceptual responses on every trial. Listeners with minimal music training heard a musical excerpt that strongly supported one of two beat patterns (context phase), followed by a rhythm consistent with either beat pattern (ambiguous phase). During the final phase, listeners indicated whether or not a superimposed drum matched the perceived beat (probe phase). Participants were more likely to indicate that the probe matched the music when that probe matched the original context, suggesting an ability to maintain the beat percept through the ambiguous phase. Likewise, we observed that the spectral amplitude during the ambiguous phase was higher at frequencies that matched the beat of the preceding context. Exploratory analyses investigated whether EEG amplitude at the beat-related SSEPs (steady state-evoked potentials) predicted performance on the beat induction task on a single-trial basis, but were inconclusive. Our findings substantiate the claim that auditory SSEPs reflect conscious perception of musical beat and not just stimulus features.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karli M Nave
- Department of Psychology, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
| | - Erin E Hannon
- Department of Psychology, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
| | - Joel S Snyder
- Department of Psychology, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
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29
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Fiveash A, Bedoin N, Gordon RL, Tillmann B. Processing rhythm in speech and music: Shared mechanisms and implications for developmental speech and language disorders. Neuropsychology 2021; 35:771-791. [PMID: 34435803 PMCID: PMC8595576 DOI: 10.1037/neu0000766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Music and speech are complex signals containing regularities in how they unfold in time. Similarities between music and speech/language in terms of their auditory features, rhythmic structure, and hierarchical structure have led to a large body of literature suggesting connections between the two domains. However, the precise underlying mechanisms behind this connection remain to be elucidated. METHOD In this theoretical review article, we synthesize previous research and present a framework of potentially shared neural mechanisms for music and speech rhythm processing. We outline structural similarities of rhythmic signals in music and speech, synthesize prominent music and speech rhythm theories, discuss impaired timing in developmental speech and language disorders, and discuss music rhythm training as an additional, potentially effective therapeutic tool to enhance speech/language processing in these disorders. RESULTS We propose the processing rhythm in speech and music (PRISM) framework, which outlines three underlying mechanisms that appear to be shared across music and speech/language processing: Precise auditory processing, synchronization/entrainment of neural oscillations to external stimuli, and sensorimotor coupling. The goal of this framework is to inform directions for future research that integrate cognitive and biological evidence for relationships between rhythm processing in music and speech. CONCLUSION The current framework can be used as a basis to investigate potential links between observed timing deficits in developmental disorders, impairments in the proposed mechanisms, and pathology-specific deficits which can be targeted in treatment and training supporting speech therapy outcomes. On these grounds, we propose future research directions and discuss implications of our framework. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Fiveash
- Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, CRNL, CNRS, UMR5292, INSERM, U1028, F-69000, Lyon, France
- University Lyon 1, Lyon, France
| | - Nathalie Bedoin
- Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, CRNL, CNRS, UMR5292, INSERM, U1028, F-69000, Lyon, France
- University Lyon 1, Lyon, France
- University of Lyon 2, CNRS, UMR5596, Lyon, F-69000, France
| | - Reyna L. Gordon
- Department of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
- Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
- Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Barbara Tillmann
- Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, CRNL, CNRS, UMR5292, INSERM, U1028, F-69000, Lyon, France
- University Lyon 1, Lyon, France
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30
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Lense MD, Ladányi E, Rabinowitch TC, Trainor L, Gordon R. Rhythm and timing as vulnerabilities in neurodevelopmental disorders. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20200327. [PMID: 34420385 PMCID: PMC8380970 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Millions of children are impacted by neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), which unfold early in life, have varying genetic etiologies and can involve a variety of specific or generalized impairments in social, cognitive and motor functioning requiring potentially lifelong specialized supports. While specific disorders vary in their domain of primary deficit (e.g. autism spectrum disorder (social), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (attention), developmental coordination disorder (motor) and developmental language disorder (language)), comorbidities between NDDs are common. Intriguingly, many NDDs are associated with difficulties in skills related to rhythm, timing and synchrony though specific profiles of rhythm/timing impairments vary across disorders. Impairments in rhythm/timing may instantiate vulnerabilities for a variety of NDDs and may contribute to both the primary symptoms of each disorder as well as the high levels of comorbidities across disorders. Drawing upon genetic, neural, behavioural and interpersonal constructs across disorders, we consider how disrupted rhythm and timing skills early in life may contribute to atypical developmental cascades that involve overlapping symptoms within the context of a disorder's primary deficits. Consideration of the developmental context, as well as common and unique aspects of the phenotypes of different NDDs, will inform experimental designs to test this hypothesis including via potential mechanistic intervention approaches. This article is part of the theme issue 'Synchrony and rhythm interaction: from the brain to behavioural ecology'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miriam D. Lense
- Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Eniko Ladányi
- Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | | | - Laurel Trainor
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Reyna Gordon
- Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
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31
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Pesnot Lerousseau J, Trébuchon A, Morillon B, Schön D. Frequency Selectivity of Persistent Cortical Oscillatory Responses to Auditory Rhythmic Stimulation. J Neurosci 2021; 41:7991-8006. [PMID: 34301825 PMCID: PMC8460151 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0213-21.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2021] [Revised: 06/28/2021] [Accepted: 07/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Cortical oscillations have been proposed to play a functional role in speech and music perception, attentional selection, and working memory, via the mechanism of neural entrainment. One of the properties of neural entrainment that is often taken for granted is that its modulatory effect on ongoing oscillations outlasts rhythmic stimulation. We tested the existence of this phenomenon by studying cortical neural oscillations during and after presentation of melodic stimuli in a passive perception paradigm. Melodies were composed of ∼60 and ∼80 Hz tones embedded in a 2.5 Hz stream. Using intracranial and surface recordings in male and female humans, we reveal persistent oscillatory activity in the high-γ band in response to the tones throughout the cortex, well beyond auditory regions. By contrast, in response to the 2.5 Hz stream, no persistent activity in any frequency band was observed. We further show that our data are well captured by a model of damped harmonic oscillator and can be classified into three classes of neural dynamics, with distinct damping properties and eigenfrequencies. This model provides a mechanistic and quantitative explanation of the frequency selectivity of auditory neural entrainment in the human cortex.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT It has been proposed that the functional role of cortical oscillations is subtended by a mechanism of entrainment, the synchronization in phase or amplitude of neural oscillations to a periodic stimulation. One of the properties of neural entrainment that is often taken for granted is that its modulatory effect on ongoing oscillations outlasts rhythmic stimulation. Using intracranial and surface recordings of humans passively listening to rhythmic auditory stimuli, we reveal consistent oscillatory responses throughout the cortex, with persistent activity of high-γ oscillations. On the contrary, neural oscillations do not outlast low-frequency acoustic dynamics. We interpret our results as reflecting harmonic oscillator properties, a model ubiquitous in physics but rarely used in neuroscience.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Agnès Trébuchon
- Inserm, Inst Neurosci Syst, Aix Marseille Univ, Inserm, INS, Inst Neurosci Syst, Marseille, France
- APHM, Hôpital de la Timone, Service de Neurophysiologie Clinique, Marseille 13005, France
| | - Benjamin Morillon
- Inserm, Inst Neurosci Syst, Aix Marseille Univ, Inserm, INS, Inst Neurosci Syst, Marseille, France
| | - Daniele Schön
- Inserm, Inst Neurosci Syst, Aix Marseille Univ, Inserm, INS, Inst Neurosci Syst, Marseille, France
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32
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Ortiz-Mantilla S, Roesler CP, Realpe-Bonilla T, Benasich AA. Modulation of Theta Phase Synchrony during Syllable Processing as a Function of Interactive Acoustic Experience in Infancy. Cereb Cortex 2021; 32:919-932. [PMID: 34403462 PMCID: PMC8889996 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2021] [Revised: 07/02/2021] [Accepted: 07/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasticity, a prominent characteristic of the infant brain, supports formation of cortical representations as infants begin to interact with and adapt to environmental sensory events. Enhanced acoustic processing efficiency along with improved allocation of attentional resources at 7 months and establishment of well-defined phonemic maps at 9 months have been shown to be facilitated by early interactive acoustic experience (IAE). In this study, using an oddball paradigm and measures of theta phase synchrony at source level, we examined short- and long-term effects of nonspeech IAE on syllable processing. Results demonstrated that beyond maturation alone, IAE increased the efficiency of syllabic representation and discrimination, an effect that endured well beyond the immediate training period. As compared with naive controls, the IAE-trained group at 7, 9, and 18 months showed less theta phase synchrony for the standard syllable and at 7 and 18 months for the deviant syllable. The decreased theta phase synchrony exhibited by the trained group suggests more mature, efficient, acoustic processing, and thus, better cortical representation and discrimination of syllabic content. Further, the IAE modulatory effect observed on theta phase synchrony in left auditory cortex at 7 and 9 months was differentially associated with receptive and expressive language scores at 12 and 18 months of age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Ortiz-Mantilla
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ 07102, USA
| | - Cynthia P Roesler
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ 07102, USA
| | - Teresa Realpe-Bonilla
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ 07102, USA
| | - April A Benasich
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ 07102, USA
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33
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Bower J, Magee WL, Catroppa C, Baker FA. The Neurophysiological Processing of Music in Children: A Systematic Review With Narrative Synthesis and Considerations for Clinical Practice in Music Therapy. Front Psychol 2021; 12:615209. [PMID: 33935868 PMCID: PMC8081903 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.615209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2020] [Accepted: 03/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Evidence supporting the use of music interventions to maximize arousal and awareness in adults presenting with a disorder of consciousness continues to grow. However, the brain of a child is not simply a small adult brain, and therefore adult theories are not directly translatable to the pediatric population. The present study aims to synthesize brain imaging data about the neural processing of music in children aged 0-18 years, to form a theoretical basis for music interventions with children presenting with a disorder of consciousness following acquired brain injury. Methods: We conducted a systematic review with narrative synthesis utilizing an adaptation of the methodology developed by Popay and colleagues. Following the development of the narrative that answered the central question "what does brain imaging data reveal about the receptive processing of music in children?", discussion was centered around the clinical implications of music therapy with children following acquired brain injury. Results: The narrative synthesis included 46 studies that utilized EEG, MEG, fMRI, and fNIRS scanning techniques in children aged 0-18 years. From birth, musical stimuli elicit distinct but immature electrical responses, with components of the auditory evoked response having longer latencies and variable amplitudes compared to their adult counterparts. Hemodynamic responses are observed throughout cortical and subcortical structures however cortical immaturity impacts musical processing and the localization of function in infants and young children. The processing of complex musical stimuli continues to mature into late adolescence. Conclusion: While the ability to process fundamental musical elements is present from birth, infants and children process music more slowly and utilize different cortical areas compared to adults. Brain injury in childhood occurs in a period of rapid development and the ability to process music following brain injury will likely depend on pre-morbid musical processing. Further, a significant brain injury may disrupt the developmental trajectory of complex music processing. However, complex music processing may emerge earlier than comparative language processing, and occur throughout a more global circuitry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janeen Bower
- Faculty of Fine Arts and Music, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Brain and Mind, Clinical Sciences, The Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Music Therapy Department, The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Wendy L. Magee
- Boyer College of Music and Dance, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Cathy Catroppa
- Brain and Mind, Clinical Sciences, The Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences and The Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Psychology Department, The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Felicity Anne Baker
- Faculty of Fine Arts and Music, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Centre of Research in Music and Health, Norwegian Academy of Music, Oslo, Norway
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34
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Tichko P, Kim JC, Large EW. Bouncing the network: A dynamical systems model of auditory-vestibular interactions underlying infants' perception of musical rhythm. Dev Sci 2021; 24:e13103. [PMID: 33570778 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2020] [Accepted: 02/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Previous work suggests that auditory-vestibular interactions, which emerge during bodily movement to music, can influence the perception of musical rhythm. In a seminal study on the ontogeny of musical rhythm, Phillips-Silver and Trainor (2005) found that bouncing infants to an unaccented rhythm influenced infants' perceptual preferences for accented rhythms that matched the rate of bouncing. In the current study, we ask whether nascent, diffuse coupling between auditory and motor systems is sufficient to bootstrap short-term Hebbian plasticity in the auditory system and explain infants' preferences for accented rhythms thought to arise from auditory-vestibular interactions. First, we specify a nonlinear, dynamical system in which two oscillatory neural networks, representing developmentally nascent auditory and motor systems, interact through weak, non-specific coupling. The auditory network was equipped with short-term Hebbian plasticity, allowing the auditory network to tune its intrinsic resonant properties. Next, we simulate the effect of vestibular input (e.g., infant bouncing) on infants' perceptual preferences for accented rhythms. We found that simultaneous auditory-vestibular training shaped the model's response to musical rhythm, enhancing vestibular-related frequencies in auditory-network activity. Moreover, simultaneous auditory-vestibular training, relative to auditory- or vestibular-only training, facilitated short-term auditory plasticity in the model, producing stronger oscillator connections in the auditory network. Finally, when tested on a musical rhythm, models which received simultaneous auditory-vestibular training, but not models that received auditory- or vestibular-only training, resonated strongly at frequencies related to their "bouncing," a finding qualitatively similar to infants' preferences for accented rhythms that matched the rate of infant bouncing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parker Tichko
- Department of Music, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ji Chul Kim
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Perception, Action, Cognition (PAC) Division, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Edward W Large
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Perception, Action, Cognition (PAC) Division, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA.,Department of Psychological Sciences, Center for the Ecological Study of Perception & Action (CESPA), University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA.,Department of Physics, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
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35
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Laffere A, Dick F, Holt LL, Tierney A. Attentional modulation of neural entrainment to sound streams in children with and without ADHD. Neuroimage 2020; 224:117396. [PMID: 32979522 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2020] [Revised: 08/25/2020] [Accepted: 09/14/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
To extract meaningful information from complex auditory scenes like a noisy playground, rock concert, or classroom, children can direct attention to different sound streams. One means of accomplishing this might be to align neural activity with the temporal structure of a target stream, such as a specific talker or melody. However, this may be more difficult for children with ADHD, who can struggle with accurately perceiving and producing temporal intervals. In this EEG study, we found that school-aged children's attention to one of two temporally-interleaved isochronous tone 'melodies' was linked to an increase in phase-locking at the melody's rate, and a shift in neural phase that aligned the neural responses with the attended tone stream. Children's attention task performance and neural phase alignment with the attended melody were linked to performance on temporal production tasks, suggesting that children with more robust control over motor timing were better able to direct attention to the time points associated with the target melody. Finally, we found that although children with ADHD performed less accurately on the tonal attention task than typically developing children, they showed the same degree of attentional modulation of phase locking and neural phase shifts, suggesting that children with ADHD may have difficulty with attentional engagement rather than attentional selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aeron Laffere
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HX, United Kingdom
| | - Fred Dick
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HX, United Kingdom; Division of Psychology & Language Sciences, UCL, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Lori L Holt
- Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, United States
| | - Adam Tierney
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HX, United Kingdom.
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36
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Choi D, Batterink LJ, Black AK, Paller KA, Werker JF. Preverbal Infants Discover Statistical Word Patterns at Similar Rates as Adults: Evidence From Neural Entrainment. Psychol Sci 2020; 31:1161-1173. [DOI: 10.1177/0956797620933237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The discovery of words in continuous speech is one of the first challenges faced by infants during language acquisition. This process is partially facilitated by statistical learning, the ability to discover and encode relevant patterns in the environment. Here, we used an electroencephalogram (EEG) index of neural entrainment to track 6-month-olds’ ( N = 25) segmentation of words from continuous speech. Infants’ neural entrainment to embedded words increased logarithmically over the learning period, consistent with a perceptual shift from isolated syllables to wordlike units. Moreover, infants’ neural entrainment during learning predicted postlearning behavioral measures of word discrimination ( n = 18). Finally, the logarithmic increase in entrainment to words was comparable in infants and adults, suggesting that infants and adults follow similar learning trajectories when tracking probability information among speech sounds. Statistical-learning effects in infants and adults may reflect overlapping neural mechanisms, which emerge early in life and are maintained throughout the life span.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dawoon Choi
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia
| | - Laura J. Batterink
- Department of Psychology, Western University
- The Brain and Mind Institute, Western University
| | - Alexis K. Black
- School of Audiology and Speech Sciences, University of British Columbia
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37
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Ladányi E, Persici V, Fiveash A, Tillmann B, Gordon RL. Is atypical rhythm a risk factor for developmental speech and language disorders? WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. COGNITIVE SCIENCE 2020; 11:e1528. [PMID: 32244259 PMCID: PMC7415602 DOI: 10.1002/wcs.1528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2019] [Revised: 03/07/2020] [Accepted: 03/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Although a growing literature points to substantial variation in speech/language abilities related to individual differences in musical abilities, mainstream models of communication sciences and disorders have not yet incorporated these individual differences into childhood speech/language development. This article reviews three sources of evidence in a comprehensive body of research aligning with three main themes: (a) associations between musical rhythm and speech/language processing, (b) musical rhythm in children with developmental speech/language disorders and common comorbid attentional and motor disorders, and (c) individual differences in mechanisms underlying rhythm processing in infants and their relationship with later speech/language development. In light of converging evidence on associations between musical rhythm and speech/language processing, we propose the Atypical Rhythm Risk Hypothesis, which posits that individuals with atypical rhythm are at higher risk for developmental speech/language disorders. The hypothesis is framed within the larger epidemiological literature in which recent methodological advances allow for large-scale testing of shared underlying biology across clinically distinct disorders. A series of predictions for future work testing the Atypical Rhythm Risk Hypothesis are outlined. We suggest that if a significant body of evidence is found to support this hypothesis, we can envision new risk factor models that incorporate atypical rhythm to predict the risk of developing speech/language disorders. Given the high prevalence of speech/language disorders in the population and the negative long-term social and economic consequences of gaps in identifying children at-risk, these new lines of research could potentially positively impact access to early identification and treatment. This article is categorized under: Linguistics > Language in Mind and Brain Neuroscience > Development Linguistics > Language Acquisition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enikő Ladányi
- Department of Otolaryngology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Valentina Persici
- Department of Otolaryngology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.,Department of Psychology, Università degli Studi di Milano - Bicocca, Milan, Italy.,Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Anna Fiveash
- Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, Auditory Cognition and Psychoacoustics Team, CRNL, INSERM, University of Lyon 1, U1028, CNRS, UMR5292, Lyon, France
| | - Barbara Tillmann
- Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, Auditory Cognition and Psychoacoustics Team, CRNL, INSERM, University of Lyon 1, U1028, CNRS, UMR5292, Lyon, France
| | - Reyna L Gordon
- Department of Otolaryngology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.,Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.,Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.,Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
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38
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Dikker S, Assaneo MF, Gwilliams L, Wang L, Kösem A. Magnetoencephalography and Language. Neuroimaging Clin N Am 2020; 30:229-238. [PMID: 32336409 DOI: 10.1016/j.nic.2020.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
This article provides an overview of research that uses magnetoencephalography to understand the brain basis of human language. The cognitive processes and brain networks that have been implicated in written and spoken language comprehension and production are discussed in relation to different methodologies: we review event-related brain responses, research on the coupling of neural oscillations to speech, oscillatory coupling between brain regions (eg, auditory-motor coupling), and neural decoding approaches in naturalistic language comprehension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzanne Dikker
- Department of Psychology, New York University, 6 Washington Place #275, New York, NY 10003, USA.
| | - M Florencia Assaneo
- Department of Psychology, New York University, 6 Washington Place #275, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - Laura Gwilliams
- Department of Psychology, New York University, 6 Washington Place #275, New York, NY 10003, USA; New York University Abu Dhabi Research Institute, New York University Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Lin Wang
- Department of Psychiatry, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 149 Thirteenth Street, #2306, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Anne Kösem
- Lyon Neuroscience Research Center (CRNL), CH Le Vinatier Bâtiment 452, 95, BD Pinel, Bron, Lyon 69675, France
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39
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Laffere A, Dick F, Tierney A. Effects of auditory selective attention on neural phase: individual differences and short-term training. Neuroimage 2020; 213:116717. [PMID: 32165265 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.116717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2019] [Revised: 03/02/2020] [Accepted: 03/04/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
How does the brain follow a sound that is mixed with others in a noisy environment? One possible strategy is to allocate attention to task-relevant time intervals. Prior work has linked auditory selective attention to alignment of neural modulations with stimulus temporal structure. However, since this prior research used relatively easy tasks and focused on analysis of main effects of attention across participants, relatively little is known about the neural foundations of individual differences in auditory selective attention. Here we investigated individual differences in auditory selective attention by asking participants to perform a 1-back task on a target auditory stream while ignoring a distractor auditory stream presented 180° out of phase. Neural entrainment to the attended auditory stream was strongly linked to individual differences in task performance. Some variability in performance was accounted for by degree of musical training, suggesting a link between long-term auditory experience and auditory selective attention. To investigate whether short-term improvements in auditory selective attention are possible, we gave participants 2 h of auditory selective attention training and found improvements in both task performance and enhancements of the effects of attention on neural phase angle. Our results suggest that although there exist large individual differences in auditory selective attention and attentional modulation of neural phase angle, this skill improves after a small amount of targeted training.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aeron Laffere
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HX, UK
| | - Fred Dick
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HX, UK; Division of Psychology & Language Sciences, UCL, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Adam Tierney
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HX, UK.
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40
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Markova G, Nguyen T, Schätz C, de Eccher M. Singing in Tune Being in Tune: Relationship Between Maternal Playful Singing and Interpersonal Synchrony. ENFANCE 2020. [DOI: 10.3917/enf2.201.0089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
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41
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Ravignani A, Dalla Bella S, Falk S, Kello CT, Noriega F, Kotz SA. Rhythm in speech and animal vocalizations: a cross-species perspective. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2019; 1453:79-98. [PMID: 31237365 PMCID: PMC6851814 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.14166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2019] [Revised: 05/14/2019] [Accepted: 05/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Why does human speech have rhythm? As we cannot travel back in time to witness how speech developed its rhythmic properties and why humans have the cognitive skills to process them, we rely on alternative methods to find out. One powerful tool is the comparative approach: studying the presence or absence of cognitive/behavioral traits in other species to determine which traits are shared between species and which are recent human inventions. Vocalizations of many species exhibit temporal structure, but little is known about how these rhythmic structures evolved, are perceived and produced, their biological and developmental bases, and communicative functions. We review the literature on rhythm in speech and animal vocalizations as a first step toward understanding similarities and differences across species. We extend this review to quantitative techniques that are useful for computing rhythmic structure in acoustic sequences and hence facilitate cross-species research. We report links between vocal perception and motor coordination and the differentiation of rhythm based on hierarchical temporal structure. While still far from a complete cross-species perspective of speech rhythm, our review puts some pieces of the puzzle together.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Ravignani
- Artificial Intelligence LaboratoryVrije Universiteit BrusselBrusselsBelgium
- Institute for Advanced StudyUniversity of AmsterdamAmsterdamthe Netherlands
| | - Simone Dalla Bella
- International Laboratory for BrainMusic and Sound Research (BRAMS)MontréalQuebecCanada
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of MontrealMontréalQuebecCanada
- Department of Cognitive PsychologyWarsawPoland
| | - Simone Falk
- International Laboratory for BrainMusic and Sound Research (BRAMS)MontréalQuebecCanada
- Laboratoire de Phonétique et Phonologie, UMR 7018, CNRS/Université Sorbonne Nouvelle Paris‐3Institut de Linguistique et Phonétique générales et appliquéesParisFrance
| | | | - Florencia Noriega
- Chair for Network DynamicsCenter for Advancing Electronics Dresden (CFAED), TU DresdenDresdenGermany
- CODE University of Applied SciencesBerlinGermany
| | - Sonja A. Kotz
- International Laboratory for BrainMusic and Sound Research (BRAMS)MontréalQuebecCanada
- Basic and Applied NeuroDynamics Laboratory, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Department of Neuropsychology and PsychopharmacologyMaastricht UniversityMaastrichtthe Netherlands
- Department of NeuropsychologyMax‐Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain SciencesLeipzigGermany
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42
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Markova G, Nguyen T, Hoehl S. Neurobehavioral Interpersonal Synchrony in Early Development: The Role of Interactional Rhythms. Front Psychol 2019; 10:2078. [PMID: 31620046 PMCID: PMC6759699 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2019] [Accepted: 08/27/2019] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Social interactions are essential for understanding others' actions and their mental and affective states. Specifically, interpersonal coordination - also referred to as synchrony - allows actors to adjust their behaviors to one another and thus demonstrate their connectedness to each other. Much behavioral research has demonstrated the primacy of mutually synchronized social exchanges in early development. Additionally, new methodological advances now allow us to examine interpersonal synchrony not only at the behavioral and physiological but also neural level. Nevertheless, it remains unclear how infants and their caregivers actually achieve interpersonal synchrony in their exchanges. Here we discuss recent evidence showing that adults provide rhythmical information during early social interactions with their infants, such as affective touch and singing. We propose that entrainment to these social rhythms underlies the formation of interpersonal synchrony and thus stimulates reciprocal interactions between infants and their caregivers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela Markova
- Department of Applied Psychology: Health, Development, Enhancement and Intervention, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Trinh Nguyen
- Department of Applied Psychology: Health, Development, Enhancement and Intervention, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Stefanie Hoehl
- Department of Applied Psychology: Health, Development, Enhancement and Intervention, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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43
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Silva S, Castro SL. Structural meter perception is pre-attentive. Neuropsychologia 2019; 133:107184. [PMID: 31518576 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2019.107184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2018] [Revised: 06/24/2019] [Accepted: 09/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
A prominent question in timing research is whether meter perception is possible without attention to meter. So far, research has probed attention effects on meter perception with a surface-based approach that may create confounds between meter and rhythm, and not with a structural approach requiring abstraction from surface patterns. The available pattern of findings suggests that different meter dimensions (meter as beat hierarchy vs. meter as regular cycle length) may yield different attention effects: meter as cycle-length regularity may require attention (it is attentive but not pre-attentive), while meter as beat-hierarchy may be pre-attentive. However, it is unknown whether this dissociation prevails under structural meter processing. We examined attention effects on the EEG correlates of structural meter-processing, considering the two dimensions of meter perception: hierarchy and cycle-length. While the results for hierarchy violations were inconclusive, cycle-length violations induced pre-attentive, but not attentive, responses. These pre-attentive responses corresponded to late ERPs (300-600 ms), consistent with deep, structural meter-processing. Our findings highlight the importance of pre-attentive processing in meter perception, and they raise the hypothesis of dissociation between surface- and structure-based meter processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susana Silva
- Center for Psychology at University of Porto (CPUP), Porto, Portugal.
| | - São Luís Castro
- Center for Psychology at University of Porto (CPUP), Porto, Portugal.
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44
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Maróti E, Honbolygó F, Weiss B. Neural entrainment to the beat in multiple frequency bands in 6-7-year-old children. Int J Psychophysiol 2019; 141:45-55. [PMID: 31078641 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2019.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2018] [Revised: 05/03/2019] [Accepted: 05/08/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Entrainment to periodic acoustic stimuli has been found to relate both to the auditory and motor cortices, and it could be influenced by the maturity of these brain regions. However, existing research in this topic provides data about different oscillatory brain activities in different age groups with different musical background. In order to obtain a more coherent picture and examine early manifestations of entrainment, we assessed brain oscillations at multiple time scales (beta: 15-25 Hz, gamma: 28-48 Hz) and in steady state evoked potentials (SS-EPs in short) in 6-7-year-old children with no musical background right at the start of primary school before they learnt to read. Our goal was to exclude the effect of music training and reading, since previous studies have shown that sensorimotor entrainment (movement synchronization to the beat) is related to musical and reading abilities. We found evidence for endogenous anticipatory processing in the gamma band related to meter perception, and stimulus-related frequency specific responses. However, we did not find evidence for an interaction between auditory and motor networks, which suggests that endogenous mechanisms related to auditory processing may mature earlier than those that underlie motor actions, such as sensorimotor synchronization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emese Maróti
- Brain Imaging Centre, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary; Department of Cognitive Science, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Budapest, Hungary.
| | - Ferenc Honbolygó
- Brain Imaging Centre, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary; Institute of Psychology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Béla Weiss
- Brain Imaging Centre, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
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45
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Tichko P, Large EW. Modeling infants' perceptual narrowing to musical rhythms: neural oscillation and Hebbian plasticity. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2019; 1453:125-139. [PMID: 31021447 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.14050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2018] [Revised: 02/01/2019] [Accepted: 02/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Previous research suggests that infants' perception of musical rhythm is fine-tuned to culture-specific rhythmic structures over the first postnatal year of human life. To date, however, little is known about the neurobiological principles that may underlie this process. In the current study, we used a dynamical systems model featuring neural oscillation and Hebbian plasticity to simulate infants' perceptual learning of culture-specific musical rhythms. First, we demonstrate that oscillatory activity in an untrained network reflects the rhythmic structure of either a Western or a Balkan training rhythm in a veridical fashion. Next, during a period of unsupervised learning, we show that the network learns the rhythmic structure of either a Western or a Balkan training rhythm through the self-organization of network connections. Finally, we demonstrate that the learned connections affect the networks' response to violations to the metrical structure of native and nonnative rhythms, a pattern of findings that mirrors the behavioral data on infants' perceptual narrowing to musical rhythms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parker Tichko
- Developmental Division, Department of Psychological Sciences, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut
| | - Edward W Large
- Perception, Action, Cognition (PAC) Division, Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut.,Center for the Ecological Study of Perception & Action (CESPA), Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut.,Department of Physics, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut
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46
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Abstract
Bass sounds play a special role in conveying the rhythm and stimulating motor entrainment to the beat of music. However, the biological roots of this culturally widespread musical practice remain mysterious, despite its fundamental relevance in the sciences and arts, and also for music-assisted clinical rehabilitation of motor disorders. Here, we show that this musical convention may exploit a neurophysiological mechanism whereby low-frequency sounds shape neural representations of rhythmic input at the cortical level by boosting selective neural locking to the beat, thus explaining the privileged role of bass sounds in driving people to move along with the musical beat. Music makes us move, and using bass instruments to build the rhythmic foundations of music is especially effective at inducing people to dance to periodic pulse-like beats. Here, we show that this culturally widespread practice may exploit a neurophysiological mechanism whereby low-frequency sounds shape the neural representations of rhythmic input by boosting selective locking to the beat. Cortical activity was captured using electroencephalography (EEG) while participants listened to a regular rhythm or to a relatively complex syncopated rhythm conveyed either by low tones (130 Hz) or high tones (1236.8 Hz). We found that cortical activity at the frequency of the perceived beat is selectively enhanced compared with other frequencies in the EEG spectrum when rhythms are conveyed by bass sounds. This effect is unlikely to arise from early cochlear processes, as revealed by auditory physiological modeling, and was particularly pronounced for the complex rhythm requiring endogenous generation of the beat. The effect is likewise not attributable to differences in perceived loudness between low and high tones, as a control experiment manipulating sound intensity alone did not yield similar results. Finally, the privileged role of bass sounds is contingent on allocation of attentional resources to the temporal properties of the stimulus, as revealed by a further control experiment examining the role of a behavioral task. Together, our results provide a neurobiological basis for the convention of using bass instruments to carry the rhythmic foundations of music and to drive people to move to the beat.
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47
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Ozernov-Palchik O, Patel AD. Musical rhythm and reading development: does beat processing matter? Ann N Y Acad Sci 2018; 1423:166-175. [PMID: 29781084 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.13853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2018] [Revised: 04/13/2018] [Accepted: 04/23/2018] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
There is mounting evidence for links between musical rhythm processing and reading-related cognitive skills, such as phonological awareness. This may be because music and speech are rhythmic: both involve processing complex sound sequences with systematic patterns of timing, accent, and grouping. Yet, there is a salient difference between musical and speech rhythm: musical rhythm is often beat-based (based on an underlying grid of equal time intervals), while speech rhythm is not. Thus, the role of beat-based processing in the reading-rhythm relationship is not clear. Is there is a distinct relation between beat-based processing mechanisms and reading-related language skills, or is the rhythm-reading link entirely due to shared mechanisms for processing nonbeat-based aspects of temporal structure? We discuss recent evidence for a distinct link between beat-based processing and early reading abilities in young children, and suggest experimental designs that would allow one to further methodically investigate this relationship. We propose that beat-based processing taps into a listener's ability to use rich contextual regularities to form predictions, a skill important for reading development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ola Ozernov-Palchik
- Eliot Pearson Department of Child Study and Human Development, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts
| | - Aniruddh D Patel
- Department of Psychology, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts
- Azrieli Program in Brain, Mind and Consciousness, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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48
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Trehub SE, Cirelli LK. Precursors to the performing arts in infancy and early childhood. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2018; 237:225-242. [PMID: 29779736 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2018.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Across cultures, aspects of music and dance contribute to everyday life in a variety of ways that do not depend on artistry, aesthetics, or expertise. In this chapter, we focus on precursors to music and dance that are evident in infancy: the underlying perceptual abilities, parent-infant musical interactions that are motivated by nonmusical goals, the consequences of such interactions for mood regulation and social regulation, and the emergence of rudimentary singing and rhythmic movement to music. These precursors to music and dance lay the groundwork for our informal engagement with music throughout life and its continuing effects on mood regulation, affiliation, and well-being.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra E Trehub
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON, Canada.
| | - Laura K Cirelli
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON, Canada
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49
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Zaidel DW. Culture and art: Importance of art practice, not aesthetics, to early human culture. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2018; 237:25-40. [PMID: 29779738 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2018.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Art is expressed in multiple formats in today's human cultures. Physical traces of stone tools and other archaeological landmarks suggest early nonart cultural behavior and symbolic cognition in the early Homo sapiens (HS) who emerged ~300,000-200,000 years ago in Africa. Fundamental to art expression is the neural underpinning for symbolic cognition, and material art is considered its prime example. However, prior to producing material art, HS could have exploited symbolically through art-rooted biological neural pathways for social purpose, namely, those controlling interpersonal motoric coordination and sound codependence. Aesthetics would not have been the primary purpose; arguments for group dance and rhythmical musical sounds are offered here. In addition, triggers for symbolic body painting are discussed. These cultural art formats could well have preceded material art and would have enhanced unity, inclusiveness, and cooperative behavior, contributing significantly to already existing nonart cultural practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dahlia W Zaidel
- Department of Psychology and Brain Research Institute, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States.
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50
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Cirelli LK, Trehub SE, Trainor LJ. Rhythm and melody as social signals for infants. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2018; 1423:66-72. [PMID: 29512877 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.13580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2017] [Revised: 11/21/2017] [Accepted: 11/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Infants typically experience music through social interactions with others. One such experience involves caregivers singing to infants while holding and bouncing them rhythmically. These highly social interactions shape infant music perception and may also influence social cognition and behavior. Moving in time with others-interpersonal synchrony-can direct infants' social preferences and prosocial behavior. Infants also show social preferences and selective prosociality toward singers of familiar, socially learned melodies. Here, we discuss recent studies of the influence of musical engagement on infant social cognition and behavior, highlighting the importance of rhythmic movement and socially relevant melodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura K Cirelli
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
| | - Sandra E Trehub
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
| | - Laurel J Trainor
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- McMaster Institute for Music and the Mind, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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