1
|
Zanto TP, Giannakopoulou A, Gallen CL, Ostrand AE, Younger JW, Anguera-Singla R, Anguera JA, Gazzaley A. Digital rhythm training improves reading fluency in children. Dev Sci 2024; 27:e13473. [PMID: 38193394 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13473] [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: 01/30/2023] [Revised: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024]
Abstract
Musical instrument training has been linked to improved academic and cognitive abilities in children, but it remains unclear why this occurs. Moreover, access to instrument training is not always feasible, thereby leaving less fortunate children without opportunity to benefit from such training. Although music-based video games may be more accessible to a broader population, research is lacking regarding their benefits on academic and cognitive performance. To address this gap, we assessed a custom-designed, digital rhythm training game as a proxy for instrument training to evaluate its ability to engender benefits in math and reading abilities. Furthermore, we tested for changes in core cognitive functions related to math and reading to inform how rhythm training may facilitate improved academic abilities. Classrooms of 8-9 year old children were randomized to receive either 6 weeks of rhythm training (N = 32) or classroom instruction as usual (control; N = 21). Compared to the control group, results showed that rhythm training improved reading, but not math, fluency. Assessments of cognition showed that rhythm training also led to improved rhythmic timing and language-based executive function (Stroop task), but not sustained attention, inhibitory control, or working memory. Interestingly, only the improvements in rhythmic timing correlated with improvements in reading ability. Together, these results provide novel evidence that a digital platform may serve as a proxy for musical instrument training to facilitate reading fluency in children, and that such reading improvements are related to enhanced rhythmic timing ability and not other cognitive functions associated with reading performance. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Digital rhythm training in the classroom can improve reading fluency in 8-9 year old children Improvements in reading fluency were positively correlated with enhanced rhythmic timing ability Alterations in reading fluency were not predicted by changes in other executive functions that support reading A digital platform may be a convenient and cost-effective means to provide musical rhythm training, which in turn, can facilitate academic skills.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Theodore P Zanto
- Department of Neurology, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
- Neuroscape, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | | | - Courtney L Gallen
- Department of Neurology, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
- Neuroscape, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Avery E Ostrand
- Department of Neurology, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
- Neuroscape, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Jessica W Younger
- Department of Neurology, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
- Neuroscape, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Roger Anguera-Singla
- Department of Neurology, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
- Neuroscape, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Joaquin A Anguera
- Department of Neurology, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
- Neuroscape, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Adam Gazzaley
- Department of Neurology, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
- Neuroscape, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
- Department of Physiology, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Dalla Bella S, Foster NEV, Laflamme H, Zagala A, Melissa K, Komeilipoor N, Blais M, Rigoulot S, Kotz SA. Mobile version of the Battery for the Assessment of Auditory Sensorimotor and Timing Abilities (BAASTA): Implementation and adult norms. Behav Res Methods 2024; 56:3737-3756. [PMID: 38459221 DOI: 10.3758/s13428-024-02363-x] [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] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 03/10/2024]
Abstract
Timing and rhythm abilities are complex and multidimensional skills that are highly widespread in the general population. This complexity can be partly captured by the Battery for the Assessment of Auditory Sensorimotor and Timing Abilities (BAASTA). The battery, consisting of four perceptual and five sensorimotor tests (finger-tapping), has been used in healthy adults and in clinical populations (e.g., Parkinson's disease, ADHD, developmental dyslexia, stuttering), and shows sensitivity to individual differences and impairment. However, major limitations for the generalized use of this tool are the lack of reliable and standardized norms and of a version of the battery that can be used outside the lab. To circumvent these caveats, we put forward a new version of BAASTA on a tablet device capable of ensuring lab-equivalent measurements of timing and rhythm abilities. We present normative data obtained with this version of BAASTA from over 100 healthy adults between the ages of 18 and 87 years in a test-retest protocol. Moreover, we propose a new composite score to summarize beat-based rhythm capacities, the Beat Tracking Index (BTI), with close to excellent test-retest reliability. BTI derives from two BAASTA tests (beat alignment, paced tapping), and offers a swift and practical way of measuring rhythmic abilities when research imposes strong time constraints. This mobile BAASTA implementation is more inclusive and far-reaching, while opening new possibilities for reliable remote testing of rhythmic abilities by leveraging accessible and cost-efficient technologies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Simone Dalla Bella
- International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research (BRAMS), University of Montreal, CP 6128, succ. Centre-ville, Montréal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada.
- Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada.
- Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music (CRBLM), Montreal, Canada.
- University of Economics and Human Sciences in Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.
| | - Nicholas E V Foster
- International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research (BRAMS), University of Montreal, CP 6128, succ. Centre-ville, Montréal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada
- Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music (CRBLM), Montreal, Canada
| | - Hugo Laflamme
- International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research (BRAMS), University of Montreal, CP 6128, succ. Centre-ville, Montréal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada
- Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music (CRBLM), Montreal, Canada
| | - Agnès Zagala
- International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research (BRAMS), University of Montreal, CP 6128, succ. Centre-ville, Montréal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada
- Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music (CRBLM), Montreal, Canada
| | - Kadi Melissa
- International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research (BRAMS), University of Montreal, CP 6128, succ. Centre-ville, Montréal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada
- Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music (CRBLM), Montreal, Canada
| | - Naeem Komeilipoor
- International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research (BRAMS), University of Montreal, CP 6128, succ. Centre-ville, Montréal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada
- Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music (CRBLM), Montreal, Canada
| | - Mélody Blais
- Euromov, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Simon Rigoulot
- International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research (BRAMS), University of Montreal, CP 6128, succ. Centre-ville, Montréal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Quebec at Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, Canada
| | - Sonja A Kotz
- Departmentof Neuropsychology & Psychopharmacology, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, PO 616, 6200, MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Nandi B, Ostrand A, Johnson V, Ford TJ, Gazzaley A, Zanto TP. Musical Training Facilitates Exogenous Temporal Attention via Delta Phase Entrainment within a Sensorimotor Network. J Neurosci 2023; 43:3365-3378. [PMID: 36977585 PMCID: PMC10162458 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0220-22.2023] [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: 01/27/2022] [Revised: 01/24/2023] [Accepted: 01/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Temporal orienting of attention plays an important role in our day-to-day lives and can use timing information from exogenous or endogenous sources. Yet, it is unclear what neural mechanisms give rise to temporal attention, and it is debated whether both exogenous and endogenous forms of temporal attention share a common neural source. Here, older adult nonmusicians (N = 47, 24 female) were randomized to undergo 8 weeks of either rhythm training, which places demands on exogenous temporal attention, or word search training as a control. The goal was to assess (1) the neural basis of exogenous temporal attention and (2) whether training-induced improvements in exogenous temporal attention can transfer to enhanced endogenous temporal attention abilities, thereby providing support for a common neural mechanism of temporal attention. Before and after training, exogenous temporal attention was assessed using a rhythmic synchronization paradigm, whereas endogenous temporal attention was evaluated via a temporally cued visual discrimination task. Results showed that rhythm training improved performance on the exogenous temporal attention task, which was associated with increased intertrial coherence within the δ (1-4 Hz) band as assessed by EEG recordings. Source localization revealed increased δ-band intertrial coherence arose from a sensorimotor network, including premotor cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, postcentral gyrus, and the inferior parietal lobule. Despite these improvements in exogenous temporal attention, such benefits were not transferred to endogenous attentional ability. These results support the notion that exogenous and endogenous temporal attention uses independent neural sources, with exogenous temporal attention relying on the precise timing of δ band oscillations within a sensorimotor network.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Allocating attention to specific points in time is known as temporal attention, and may arise from external (exogenous) or internal (endogenous) sources. Despite its importance to our daily lives, it is unclear how the brain gives rise to temporal attention and whether exogenous- or endogenous-based sources for temporal attention rely on shared brain regions. Here, we demonstrate that musical rhythm training improves exogenous temporal attention, which was associated with more consistent timing of neural activity in sensory and motor processing brain regions. However, these benefits did not extend to endogenous temporal attention, indicating that temporal attention relies on different brain regions depending on the source of timing information.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bijurika Nandi
- Department of Neurology, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94158
- Neuroscape, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94158
| | - Avery Ostrand
- Department of Neurology, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94158
- Neuroscape, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94158
| | - Vinith Johnson
- Department of Neurology, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94158
- Neuroscape, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94158
| | - Tiffany J Ford
- Department of Neurology, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94158
- Neuroscape, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94158
| | - Adam Gazzaley
- Department of Neurology, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94158
- Neuroscape, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94158
- Departments of Physiology and Psychiatry, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94158
| | - Theodore P Zanto
- Department of Neurology, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94158
- Neuroscape, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94158
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Abstract
Playing a musical instrument engages numerous cognitive abilities, including sensory perception, selective attention, and short-term memory. Mounting evidence indicates that engaging these cognitive functions during musical training will improve performance of these same functions. Yet, it remains unclear the extent these benefits may extend to nonmusical tasks, and what neural mechanisms may enable such transfer. Here, we conducted a preregistered randomized clinical trial where nonmusicians underwent 8 wk of either digital musical rhythm training or word search as control. Only musical rhythm training placed demands on short-term memory, as well as demands on visual perception and selective attention, which are known to facilitate short-term memory. As hypothesized, only the rhythm training group exhibited improved short-term memory on a face recognition task, thereby providing important evidence that musical rhythm training can benefit performance on a nonmusical task. Analysis of electroencephalography data showed that neural activity associated with sensory processing and selective attention were unchanged by training. Rather, rhythm training facilitated neural activity associated with short-term memory encoding, as indexed by an increased P3 of the event-related potential to face stimuli. Moreover, short-term memory maintenance was enhanced, as evidenced by increased two-class (face/scene) decoding accuracy. Activity from both the encoding and maintenance periods each highlight the right superior parietal lobule (SPL) as a source for training-related changes. Together, these results suggest musical rhythm training may improve memory for faces by facilitating activity within the SPL to promote how memories are encoded and maintained, which can be used in a domain-general manner to enhance performance on a nonmusical task.
Collapse
|
5
|
Irie S, Watanabe Y, Tachibana A, Sakata N. Mental arithmetic modulates temporal variabilities of finger-tapping tasks in a tempo-dependent manner. PeerJ 2022; 10:e13944. [PMID: 36042862 PMCID: PMC9420403 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.13944] [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: 12/21/2021] [Accepted: 08/03/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Several psychiatric diseases impair temporal processing. Temporal processing is thought to be based on two domains: supra-second intervals and sub-second intervals. Studies show that temporal processing in sub-second intervals is mainly an automated process. However, the brain functions involved in temporal processing at each time scale remain unclear. We hypothesized that temporal processing in supra-second intervals requires several brain areas, such as the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, intraparietal sulcus (IPS), and inferior parietal lobe, corresponding to various cognitions in a time scale-dependent manner. We focused on a dual-task paradigm (DTP) involving simultaneous performance of cognitive and motor tasks, which is an effective method for screening psychomotor functions; we then designed a DTP comprising finger tapping at various tempi as the temporal processing task and two cognitive tasks (mental arithmetic and reading) that might affect temporal processing. We hoped to determine whether task-dependent interferences on temporal processing in supra-second intervals differed depending on the cognitive tasks involved. Methods The study included 30 participants with no history of neuromuscular disorders. Participants were asked to perform a DTP involving right index finger tapping at varying tempi (0.33, 0.5, 1, 2, 3, and 4 s inter-tapping intervals). Cognitive tasks comprised mental arithmetic (MA) involving three-digit addition, mental reading (MR) of three- to four-digit numbers, and a control (CTL) task without any cognitive loading. For comparison between tasks, we calculated the SDs of the inter-tapping intervals. Participants' MA abilities in the three-digit addition task were evaluated. Results The MA and MR tasks significantly increased the SDs of the inter-tapping intervals compared to those of the CTL task in 2-3 s and 3-4 s for the MA and MR tasks, respectively. Furthermore, SD peaks in the finger-tapping tasks involving MA were normalized by those in the CTL task, which were moderately correlated with the participants' MA ability (r = 0.462, P = 0.010). Discussion Our results established that DTP involving the temporal coordination of finger-tapping and cognitive tasks increased temporal variability in a task- and tempo-dependent manner. Based on the behavioral aspects, we believe that these modulations of temporal variability might result from the interaction between finger function, arithmetic processing, and temporal processing, especially during the "pre-semantic period". Our findings may help in understanding the temporal processing deficits in various disorders such as dementia, Parkinson's disease, and autism.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shun Irie
- Division for Smart Healthcare Research, Dokkyo Medical University, Mibu-machi, Tochigi, Japan
| | - Yoshiteru Watanabe
- Major of Physical Therapy, Department of Rehabilitation, School of Health Sciences, Tokyo University of Technology, Ota-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Atsumichi Tachibana
- Department of Anatomy, Dokkyo Medical University, Mibu-machi, Tochigi, Japan
| | - Nobuhiro Sakata
- Division for Smart Healthcare Research, Dokkyo Medical University, Mibu-machi, Tochigi, Japan,Center for Information & Communication Technology, Dokkyo Medical University, Mibu-machi, Tochigi, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Zagala A, Foster NEV, Dalla Bella S. Commentary: A Tablet-Based Assessment of Rhythmic Ability. Front Psychol 2021; 12:607676. [PMID: 34354622 PMCID: PMC8329329 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.607676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2020] [Accepted: 06/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Agnès Zagala
- International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research (BRAMS), University of Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music (CRBLM), Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Nicholas E V Foster
- International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research (BRAMS), University of Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music (CRBLM), Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Simone Dalla Bella
- International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research (BRAMS), University of Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music (CRBLM), Montreal, QC, Canada.,Department of Cognitive Psychology, University of Economics and Human Sciences in Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Zanto TP, Liu H, Pan P, Gazzaley A. Temporal attention is not affected by working memory load. Cortex 2020; 130:351-361. [PMID: 32738582 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2020.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2020] [Revised: 05/12/2020] [Accepted: 06/09/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Temporal attention refers to the ability to orient attention in time, which serves to enhance performance such as target detection and discrimination and is a fundamental component of cognitive function. Although some research indicates that temporal attention ability is affected by working memory updating, it is unclear whether temporal attention is also affected by the availability of working memory stores. To address this, participants were presented a dual-task paradigm requiring zero, three, or six digits to be held in working memory while engaged in a temporally cued visual discrimination task. Results show that working memory load did not differentially affect the ability to benefit from predictive temporal cues during the visual discrimination task. This indicates that temporal attention is not affected by available working memory stores. Interestingly, posterior beta band (12-30 Hz) activity was differentially modulated by temporal attention and working memory load, such that it decreased prior to expected targets and increased with load. Analysis across participants indicated that those individuals who exhibited greater temporal attention-based modulation of beta activity (i.e., predictive < neutrally cued) displayed improved discrimination performance, but also yielded lowered working memory accuracy. Thus, the ability to benefit from temporal attention processes while multitasking comes at the cost of lowered secondary task performance. Together, these results indicate that available working memory stores do not affect temporal attention ability. Rather, limitations in divided attention ability result in a performance cost that prioritizes one task over another, which may be indexed by beta band activity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Theodore P Zanto
- Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Neuroscape, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Helen Liu
- Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Peter Pan
- Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Adam Gazzaley
- Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Neuroscape, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Departments of Physiology and Psychiatry, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| |
Collapse
|