1
|
Musso M, Altenmüller E, Reisert M, Hosp J, Schwarzwald R, Blank B, Horn J, Glauche V, Kaller C, Weiller C, Schumacher M. Speaking in gestures: Left dorsal and ventral frontotemporal brain systems underlie communication in conducting. Eur J Neurosci 2023; 57:324-350. [PMID: 36509461 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15883] [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: 02/08/2022] [Revised: 09/27/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Conducting constitutes a well-structured system of signs anticipating information concerning the rhythm and dynamic of a musical piece. Conductors communicate the musical tempo to the orchestra, unifying the individual instrumental voices to form an expressive musical Gestalt. In a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiment, 12 professional conductors and 16 instrumentalists conducted real-time novel pieces with diverse complexity in orchestration and rhythm. For control, participants either listened to the stimuli or performed beat patterns, setting the time of a metronome or complex rhythms played by a drum. Activation of the left superior temporal gyrus (STG), supplementary and premotor cortex and Broca's pars opercularis (F3op) was shared in both musician groups and separated conducting from the other conditions. Compared to instrumentalists, conductors activated Broca's pars triangularis (F3tri) and the STG, which differentiated conducting from time beating and reflected the increase in complexity during conducting. In comparison to conductors, instrumentalists activated F3op and F3tri when distinguishing complex rhythm processing from simple rhythm processing. Fibre selection from a normative human connectome database, constructed using a global tractography approach, showed that the F3op and STG are connected via the arcuate fasciculus, whereas the F3tri and STG are connected via the extreme capsule. Like language, the anatomical framework characterising conducting gestures is located in the left dorsal system centred on F3op. This system reflected the sensorimotor mapping for structuring gestures to musical tempo. The ventral system centred on F3Tri may reflect the art of conductors to set this musical tempo to the individual orchestra's voices in a global, holistic way.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mariacristina Musso
- Department of Neurology and Clinical Neuroscience, Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Eckart Altenmüller
- Institute of Music Physiology and Musician's Medicine, Hannover University of Music Drama and Media, Hannover, Germany
| | - Marco Reisert
- Department of Medical Physics, Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Jonas Hosp
- Department of Neurology and Clinical Neuroscience, Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Ralf Schwarzwald
- Department of Neuroradiology, Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Bettina Blank
- Department of Neurology and Clinical Neuroscience, Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Julian Horn
- Department of Neurology and Clinical Neuroscience, Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Volkmar Glauche
- Department of Neurology and Clinical Neuroscience, Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Christoph Kaller
- Department of Medical Physics, Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Cornelius Weiller
- Department of Neurology and Clinical Neuroscience, Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Martin Schumacher
- Department of Neuroradiology, Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
tDCS modulates speech perception and production in second language learners. Sci Rep 2022; 12:16212. [PMID: 36171463 PMCID: PMC9519965 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-20512-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2022] [Accepted: 09/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Accurate identification and pronunciation of nonnative speech sounds can be particularly challenging for adult language learners. The current study tested the effects of a brief musical training combined with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on speech perception and production in a second language (L2). The sample comprised 36 native Hebrew speakers, aged 18-38, who studied English as L2 in a formal setting and had little musical training. Training encompassed musical perception tasks with feedback (i.e., timbre, duration, and tonal memory) and concurrent tDCS applied over the left posterior auditory-related cortex (including posterior superior temporal gyrus and planum temporale). Participants were randomly assigned to anodal or sham stimulation. Musical perception, L2 speech perception (measured by a categorical AXB discrimination task) and speech production (measured by a speech imitation task) were tested before and after training. There were no tDCS-dependent effects on musical perception post-training. However, only participants who received active stimulation showed increased accuracy of L2 phoneme discrimination and greater change in the acoustic properties of L2 speech sound production (i.e., second formant frequency in vowels and center of gravity in consonants). The results of this study suggest neuromodulation can facilitate the processing of nonnative speech sounds in adult learners.
Collapse
|
3
|
Examining Individual Differences in Singing, Musical and Tone Language Ability in Adolescents and Young Adults with Dyslexia. Brain Sci 2022; 12:brainsci12060744. [PMID: 35741629 PMCID: PMC9221489 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12060744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Revised: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 06/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
In recent years, evidence has been provided that individuals with dyslexia show alterations in the anatomy and function of the auditory cortex. Dyslexia is considered to be a learning disability that affects the development of music and language capacity. We set out to test adolescents and young adults with dyslexia and controls (N = 52) for their neurophysiological differences by investigating the auditory evoked P1–N1–P2 complex. In addition, we assessed their ability in Mandarin, in singing, their musical talent and their individual differences in elementary auditory skills. A discriminant analysis of magnetencephalography (MEG) revealed that individuals with dyslexia showed prolonged latencies in P1, N1, and P2 responses. A correlational analysis between MEG and behavioral variables revealed that Mandarin syllable tone recognition, singing ability and musical aptitude (AMMA) correlated with P1, N1, and P2 latencies, respectively, while Mandarin pronunciation was only associated with N1 latency. The main findings of this study indicate that the earlier P1, N1, and P2 latencies, the better is the singing, the musical aptitude, and the ability to link Mandarin syllable tones to their corresponding syllables. We suggest that this study provides additional evidence that dyslexia can be understood as an auditory and sensory processing deficit.
Collapse
|
4
|
Syntax Acquisition in Healthy Adults and Post-Stroke Individuals: The Intriguing Role of Grammatical Preference, Statistical Learning, and Education. Brain Sci 2022; 12:brainsci12050616. [PMID: 35625003 PMCID: PMC9139563 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12050616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2022] [Revised: 05/03/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous work has provided contrasting evidence on syntax acquisition. Syntax-internal factors, i.e., instinctive knowledge of the universals of grammar (UG) for finite-state grammar (FSG) and phrase-structure grammar (PSG) but also syntax-external factors such as language competence, working memory (WM) and demographic factors may affect syntax acquisition. This study employed an artificial grammar paradigm to identify which factors predicted syntax acquisition. Thirty-seven healthy individuals and forty-nine left-hemispheric stroke patients (fourteen with aphasia) read syllable sequences adhering to or violating FSG and PSG. They performed preference classifications followed by grammatical classifications (after training). Results showed the best classification accuracy for sequences adhering to UG, with performance predicted by syntactic competence and spatial WM. Classification of ungrammatical sequences improved after training and was predicted by verbal WM. Although accuracy on FSG was better than on PSG, generalization was fully possible only for PSG. Education was the best predictor of syntax acquisition, while aphasia and lesion volume were not predictors. This study shows a clear preference for UG, which is influenced by spatial and linguistic knowledge, but not by the presence of aphasia. Verbal WM supported the identification of rule violations. Moreover, the acquisition of FSG and PSG was related to partially different mechanisms, but both depended on education.
Collapse
|
5
|
Groß C, Serrallach BL, Möhler E, Pousson JE, Schneider P, Christiner M, Bernhofs V. Musical Performance in Adolescents with ADHD, ADD and Dyslexia—Behavioral and Neurophysiological Aspects. Brain Sci 2022; 12:brainsci12020127. [PMID: 35203891 PMCID: PMC8870592 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12020127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2021] [Revised: 01/09/2022] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Research has shown that dyslexia and attention deficit (hyperactivity) disorder (AD(H)D) are characterized by specific neuroanatomical and neurofunctional differences in the auditory cortex. These neurofunctional characteristics in children with ADHD, ADD and dyslexia are linked to distinct differences in music perception. Group-specific differences in the musical performance of patients with ADHD, ADD and dyslexia have not been investigated in detail so far. We investigated the musical performance and neurophysiological correlates of 21 adolescents with dyslexia, 19 with ADHD, 28 with ADD and 28 age-matched, unaffected controls using a music performance assessment scale and magnetoencephalography (MEG). Musical experts independently assessed pitch and rhythmic accuracy, intonation, improvisation skills and musical expression. Compared to dyslexic adolescents, controls as well as adolescents with ADHD and ADD performed better in rhythmic reproduction, rhythmic improvisation and musical expression. Controls were significantly better in rhythmic reproduction than adolescents with ADD and scored higher in rhythmic and pitch improvisation than adolescents with ADHD. Adolescents with ADD and controls scored better in pitch reproduction than dyslexic adolescents. In pitch improvisation, the ADD group performed better than the ADHD group, and controls scored better than dyslexic adolescents. Discriminant analysis revealed that rhythmic improvisation and musical expression discriminate the dyslexic group from controls and adolescents with ADHD and ADD. A second discriminant analysis based on MEG variables showed that absolute P1 latency asynchrony |R-L| distinguishes the control group from the disorder groups best, while P1 and N1 latencies averaged across hemispheres separate the control, ADD and ADHD groups from the dyslexic group. Furthermore, rhythmic improvisation was negatively correlated with auditory-evoked P1 and N1 latencies, pointing in the following direction: the earlier the P1 and N1 latencies (mean), the better the rhythmic improvisation. These findings provide novel insight into the differences between music processing and performance in adolescents with and without neurodevelopmental disorders. A better understanding of these differences may help to develop tailored preventions or therapeutic interventions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christine Groß
- Jazeps Vitols Latvian Academy of Music, K. Barona Street 1, LV-1050 Riga, Latvia; (C.G.); (J.E.P.); (P.S.); (V.B.)
- Department of Neuroradiology and Section of Biomagnetism, University of Heidelberg Medical School, University of Heidelberg, INF 400, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany;
| | - Bettina L. Serrallach
- Department of Neuroradiology and Section of Biomagnetism, University of Heidelberg Medical School, University of Heidelberg, INF 400, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany;
| | - Eva Möhler
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Saarland University Hospital, G-66421 Homburg, Germany;
| | - Jachin E. Pousson
- Jazeps Vitols Latvian Academy of Music, K. Barona Street 1, LV-1050 Riga, Latvia; (C.G.); (J.E.P.); (P.S.); (V.B.)
| | - Peter Schneider
- Jazeps Vitols Latvian Academy of Music, K. Barona Street 1, LV-1050 Riga, Latvia; (C.G.); (J.E.P.); (P.S.); (V.B.)
- Department of Neuroradiology and Section of Biomagnetism, University of Heidelberg Medical School, University of Heidelberg, INF 400, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany;
- Centre for Systematic Musicology, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Graz, Glacisstraße 27, A-8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Markus Christiner
- Jazeps Vitols Latvian Academy of Music, K. Barona Street 1, LV-1050 Riga, Latvia; (C.G.); (J.E.P.); (P.S.); (V.B.)
- Centre for Systematic Musicology, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Graz, Glacisstraße 27, A-8010 Graz, Austria
- Correspondence:
| | - Valdis Bernhofs
- Jazeps Vitols Latvian Academy of Music, K. Barona Street 1, LV-1050 Riga, Latvia; (C.G.); (J.E.P.); (P.S.); (V.B.)
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
German Language Adaptation of the NAVS (NAVS-G) and of the NAT (NAT-G): Testing Grammar in Aphasia. Brain Sci 2021; 11:brainsci11040474. [PMID: 33918022 PMCID: PMC8069474 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11040474] [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: 12/30/2020] [Revised: 04/02/2021] [Accepted: 04/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Grammar provides the framework for understanding and producing language. In aphasia, an acquired language disorder, grammatical deficits are diversified and widespread. However, the few assessments for testing grammar in the German language do not consider current linguistic, psycholinguistic, and functional imaging data, which have been shown to be crucial for effective treatment. This study developed German language versions of the Northwestern Assessment of Verbs and Sentences (NAVS-G) and the Northwestern Anagram Test (NAT-G) to examine comprehension and production of verbs, controlling for the number and optionality of verb arguments, and sentences with increasing syntactic complexity. The NAVS-G and NAT-G were tested in 27 healthy participants, 15 right hemispheric stroke patients without aphasia, and 15 stroke patients with mild to residual aphasia. Participants without aphasia showed near-perfect performance, with the exception of (object) relative sentences, where accuracy was associated with educational level. In each patient with aphasia, deficits in more than one subtest were observed. The within and between population-groups logistic mixed regression analyses identified significant impairments in processing syntactic complexity at the verb and sentence levels. These findings indicate that the NAVS-G and NAT-G have potential for testing grammatical competence in (German) stroke patients.
Collapse
|