Sensory Entrainment Mechanisms in Auditory Perception: Neural Synchronization Cortico-Striatal Activation.

The auditory system displays modulations in sensitivity that can align with the temporal structure of the acoustic environment. This sensory entrainment can facilitate sensory perception and is particularly relevant for audition. Systems neuroscience is slowly uncovering the neural mechanisms underlying the behaviorally observed sensory entrainment effects in the human sensory system. The present article summarizes the prominent behavioral effects of sensory entrainment and reviews our current understanding of the neural basis of sensory entrainment, such as synchronized neural oscillations, and potentially, neural activation in the cortico-striatal system

Can a rhythmic intervention support reading development in poor readers?

There is increasing interest in the wider benefits of music in relation to reading, although relatively little evidence relating to the role that music might play in developing literacy skills in those experiencing difficulties. The research reported here explores the impact of a rhythmic intervention involving clapping, stamping, and chanting to music while following notation on a chart. The intervention took place for 10 minutes each week over a 10-week period with groups of 10 children, who had lower than average reading scores. The children were in the first year of secondary school (11–12 years old). The NARA II test was selected to assess reading accuracy, comprehension, and reading rate before and after the intervention with alternative forms of the test being used. Pupils (N = 354) attending six secondary schools in the UK participated and were randomly allocated to control (174) and intervention groups (180). Multivariate analysis of variance of change scores across the period of the intervention revealed statistically significant differences between control and intervention groups in reading accuracy (p = .014) and comprehension (p = .001) but not in reading rate. The differences in reading accuracy were equivalent to 1.38 standardized scores and reading comprehension, 2.33 standardized scores

The influence of external and internal motor processes on human auditory rhythm perception

Musical rhythm is composed of organized temporal patterns, and the processes underlying rhythm perception are found to engage both auditory and motor systems. Despite behavioral and neuroscience evidence converging to this audio-motor interaction, relatively little is known about the effect of specific motor processes on auditory rhythm perception. This doctoral thesis was devoted to investigating the influence of both external and internal motor processes on the way we perceive an auditory rhythm. The first half of the thesis intended to establish whether overt body movement had a facilitatory effect on our ability to perceive the auditory rhythmic structure, and whether this effect was modulated by musical training. To this end, musicians and non-musicians performed a pulse-finding task either using natural body movement or through listening only, and produced their identified pulse by finger tapping. The results showed that overt movement benefited rhythm (pulse) perception especially for non-musicians, confirming the facilitatory role of external motor activities in hearing the rhythm, as well as its interaction with musical training. The second half of the thesis tested the idea that indirect, covert motor input, such as that transformed from the visual stimuli, could influence our perceived structure of an auditory rhythm. Three experiments examined the subjectively perceived tempo of an auditory sequence under different visual motion stimulations, while the auditory and visual streams were presented independently of each other. The results revealed that the perceived auditory tempo was accordingly influenced by the concurrent visual motion conditions, and the effect was related to the increment or decrement of visual motion speed. This supported the hypothesis that the internal motor information extracted from the visuomotor stimulation could be incorporated into the percept of an auditory rhythm. Taken together, the present thesis concludes that, rather than as a mere reaction to the given auditory input, our motor system plays an important role in contributing to the perceptual process of the auditory rhythm. This can occur via both external and internal motor activities, and may not only influence how we hear a rhythm but also under some circumstances improve our ability to hear the rhythm.Musikalische Rhythmen bestehen aus zeitlich strukturierten Mustern akustischer Stimuli. Es konnte gezeigt werden, dass die Prozesse, welche der Rhythmuswahrnehmung zugrunde liegen, sowohl motorische als auch auditive Systeme nutzen. Obwohl sich für diese auditiv-motorischen Interaktionen sowohl in den Verhaltenswissenschaften als auch Neurowissenschaften übereinstimmende Belege finden, weiß man bislang relativ wenig über die Auswirkungen spezifischer motorischer Prozesse auf die auditive Rhythmuswahrnehmung. Diese Doktorarbeit untersucht den Einfluss externaler und internaler motorischer Prozesse auf die Art und Weise, wie auditive Rhythmen wahrgenommen werden. Der erste Teil der Arbeit diente dem Ziel herauszufinden, ob körperliche Bewegungen es dem Gehirn erleichtern können, die Struktur von auditiven Rhythmen zu erkennen, und, wenn ja, ob dieser Effekt durch ein musikalisches Training beeinflusst wird. Um dies herauszufinden wurde Musikern und Nichtmusikern die Aufgabe gegeben, innerhalb von präsentierten auditiven Stimuli den Puls zu finden, wobei ein Teil der Probanden währenddessen Körperbewegungen ausführen sollte und der andere Teil nur zuhören sollte. Anschließend sollten die Probanden den gefundenen Puls durch Finger-Tapping ausführen, wobei die Reizgaben sowie die Reaktionen mittels eines computerisierten Systems kontrolliert wurden. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass offen ausgeführte Bewegungen die Wahrnehmung des Pulses vor allem bei Nichtmusikern verbesserten. Diese Ergebnisse bestätigen, dass Bewegungen beim Hören von Rhythmen unterstützend wirken. Außerdem zeigte sich, dass hier eine Wechselwirkung mit dem musikalischen Training besteht. Der zweite Teil der Doktorarbeit überprüfte die Idee, dass indirekte, verdeckte Bewegungsinformationen, wie sie z.B. in visuellen Stimuli enthalten sind, die wahrgenommene Struktur von auditiven Rhythmen beeinflussen können. Drei Experimente untersuchten, inwiefern das subjektiv wahrgenommene Tempo einer akustischen Sequenz durch die Präsentation unterschiedlicher visueller Bewegungsreize beeinflusst wird, wobei die akustischen und optischen Stimuli unabhängig voneinander präsentiert wurden. Die Ergebnisse zeigten, dass das wahrgenommene auditive Tempo durch die visuellen Bewegungsinformationen beeinflusst wird, und dass der Effekt in Verbindung mit der Zunahme oder Abnahme der visuellen Geschwindigkeit steht. Dies unterstützt die Hypothese, dass internale Bewegungsinformationen, welche aus visuomotorischen Reizen extrahiert werden, in die Wahrnehmung eines auditiven Rhythmus integriert werden können. Zusammen genommen, 5 zeigt die vorgestellte Arbeit, dass unser motorisches System eine wichtige Rolle im Wahrnehmungsprozess von auditiven Rhythmen spielt. Dies kann sowohl durch äußere als auch durch internale motorische Aktivitäten geschehen, und beeinflusst nicht nur die Art, wie wir Rhythmen hören, sondern verbessert unter bestimmten Bedingungen auch unsere Fähigkeit Rhythmen zu identifizieren

Temporal regularity in speech perception: Is regularity beneficial or deleterious?

Speech rhythm is of crucial importance for correct speech perception and language learning; for example, the specific rhythm is among the first things infants learn about their native language (Ramus, 2000). This study aimed to investigate the importance of speech rhythm in second language learning. German pseudosentences were presented to subjects in two conditions: spoken with a normal conversational speech rhythm versus with a speech rhythm containing a temporally regular beat. Nine native English speakers with 3.5±1.6 years of German training repeated each sentence after hearing it once over headphones. Responses were transcribed using to the IPA and analyzed for the number of correct, false, and missing consonants, as well as for consonant intrusions. The over-all number of correct reproductions of consonants did not differ between the two experimental conditions. However, the experimental condition comprising a normal conversational speech rhythm resulted in significantly fewer consonant intrusions than the condition containing a beat. These results highlight the importance of speech rhythm in language perception/production and suggest, in particular, that second language learning may be facilitated by language-specific temporal grouping

Global timing: a conceptual framework to investigate the neural basis of rhythm perception in humans and non-human species

Timing cues are an essential feature of music. To understand how the brain gives rise to our experience of music we must appreciate how acoustical temporal patterns are integrated over the range of several seconds in order to extract global timing. In music perception, global timing comprises three distinct but often interacting percepts: temporal grouping, beat, and tempo. What directions may we take to further elucidate where and how the global timing of music is processed in the brain? The present perspective addresses this question and describes our current understanding of the neural basis of global timing perception

“When do we get into the cultural rhythm?” A study on the effects of music-cultural perceptual narrowing

openRhythmic abilities are a fundamental aspect of daily life. Rhythm offers a predictable sequence of time intervals and accents that individuals can synchronize their actions to, enabling one to learn a language, communicate with others, move from one place to another, and synchronize movements to music. Syncing body movements with music, whether through dance or merely an individual response to music, is a common human behavior (Patel et al., 2005). But synchronization, though seemingly effortless, requires the complex integration of perceptual and sensorimotor skills. In moving to music, a beat must first be extracted and then a rhythmic motor response is integrated into that metrical framework (Ilari, 2014). But all over the world, metrical and rhythmic structures differ (Kalender et al., 2013). Hence, an individual’s perception and processing of rhythm are shaped by the unique rhythmic characteristics of the musical culture in which they are deeply ingrained. Studies have shown that individuals of various ages and cultural backgrounds experience a phenomenon known as music-cultural perceptual narrowing (e.g., Lynch et al., 1990; Lynch & Eilers, 1992; Hannon & Trehub, 2005a,b; Hannon & Trainor, 2007). Individuals initially exhibit sensitivity to a diverse range of perceptual structures that narrow down through exposure to the specific characteristics of their musical culture, thus leading to reduced sensitivity to less conventional structures. This study explores the effect of this phenomenon on movement-to-music synchronization, putting to question whether (i) culture-specific perceptual narrowing influences how infants spontaneously move in response to music samples with meters that are either present in their day-to-day experiences with music or absent from it, and whether these responses are (ii) modulated by daily exposure to, i.e. training with, a specific rhythmic pattern, which was either native to the infants’ culture or non-native. Italian infants aged 6 to 24 months and their parents, who were mainly exposed to music with isochronous simple meters, were presented with songs of both simple (4/4) and complex (7/8) meters and their motor behavior as a response to these songs were analyzed. Subsequently, they were invited to participate in a month-long musical training to either a song of 4/4 or 7/8 meter. They were then asked to return to the same experimental setting and tasked to do the same thing as the first experimental session. Preliminary analysis of infants’ motor behavior during auditory stimuli exposure suggests individual differences in motor responses, potential changes in correlations between arm and leg movements, and consistent high levels of synchronization. This thesis will first review existing literature on musicality, music processing, music-cultural perceptual narrowing, and sensorimotor synchronization (Chapter 1), then detail the research methods and materials (Chapter 2). Preliminary results will be presented (Chapter 3), and the theoretical and educational implications of these findings for our understanding of music-motor synchrony and future research directions will be detailed (Chapter 4).Rhythmic abilities are a fundamental aspect of daily life. Rhythm offers a predictable sequence of time intervals and accents that individuals can synchronize their actions to, enabling one to learn a language, communicate with others, move from one place to another, and synchronize movements to music. Syncing body movements with music, whether through dance or merely an individual response to music, is a common human behavior (Patel et al., 2005). But synchronization, though seemingly effortless, requires the complex integration of perceptual and sensorimotor skills. In moving to music, a beat must first be extracted and then a rhythmic motor response is integrated into that metrical framework (Ilari, 2014). But all over the world, metrical and rhythmic structures differ (Kalender et al., 2013). Hence, an individual’s perception and processing of rhythm are shaped by the unique rhythmic characteristics of the musical culture in which they are deeply ingrained. Studies have shown that individuals of various ages and cultural backgrounds experience a phenomenon known as music-cultural perceptual narrowing (e.g., Lynch et al., 1990; Lynch & Eilers, 1992; Hannon & Trehub, 2005a,b; Hannon & Trainor, 2007). Individuals initially exhibit sensitivity to a diverse range of perceptual structures that narrow down through exposure to the specific characteristics of their musical culture, thus leading to reduced sensitivity to less conventional structures. This study explores the effect of this phenomenon on movement-to-music synchronization, putting to question whether (i) culture-specific perceptual narrowing influences how infants spontaneously move in response to music samples with meters that are either present in their day-to-day experiences with music or absent from it, and whether these responses are (ii) modulated by daily exposure to, i.e. training with, a specific rhythmic pattern, which was either native to the infants’ culture or non-native. Italian infants aged 6 to 24 months and their parents, who were mainly exposed to music with isochronous simple meters, were presented with songs of both simple (4/4) and complex (7/8) meters and their motor behavior as a response to these songs were analyzed. Subsequently, they were invited to participate in a month-long musical training to either a song of 4/4 or 7/8 meter. They were then asked to return to the same experimental setting and tasked to do the same thing as the first experimental session. Preliminary analysis of infants’ motor behavior during auditory stimuli exposure suggests individual differences in motor responses, potential changes in correlations between arm and leg movements, and consistent high levels of synchronization. This thesis will first review existing literature on musicality, music processing, music-cultural perceptual narrowing, and sensorimotor synchronization (Chapter 1), then detail the research methods and materials (Chapter 2). Preliminary results will be presented (Chapter 3), and the theoretical and educational implications of these findings for our understanding of music-motor synchrony and future research directions will be detailed (Chapter 4)

Task-irrelevant auditory metre shapes visuomotor sequential learning

The ability to learn and reproduce sequences is fundamental to every-day life, and deficits in sequential learning are associated with developmental disorders such as specific language impairment. Individual differences in sequential learning are usually investigated using the serial reaction time task (SRTT), wherein a participant responds to a series of regularly timed, seemingly random visual cues that in fact follow a repeating deterministic structure. Although manipulating inter-cue interval timing has been shown to adversely affect sequential learning, the role of metre (the patterning of salience across time) remains unexplored within the regularly timed, visual SRTT. The current experiment consists of an SRTT adapted to include task-irrelevant auditory rhythms conferring a sense of metre. We predicted that (1) participants’ (n = 41) reaction times would reflect the auditory metric structure; (2) that disrupting the correspondence between the learned visual sequence and auditory metre would impede performance; and (3) that individual differences in sensitivity to rhythm would predict the magnitude of these effects. Altering the relationship via a phase shift between the trained visual sequence and auditory metre slowed reaction times. Sensitivity to rhythm was predictive of reaction times over all. In an exploratory analysis, we, moreover, found that approximately half of participants made systematically different responses to visual cues on the basis of the cues’ position within the auditory metre. We demonstrate the influence of auditory temporal structures on visuomotor sequential learning in a widely used task where metre and timing are rarely considered. The current results indicate sensitivity to metre as a possible latent factor underpinning individual differences in SRTT performance

The Neurocognition of Prosody

Prosody is one of the most undervalued components of language, despite its fulfillment of manifold purposes. It can, for instance, help assign the correct meaning to compounds such as “white house” (linguistic function), or help a listener understand how a speaker feels (emotional function). However, brain-based models that take into account the role prosody plays in dynamic speech comprehension are still rare. This is probably due to the fact that it has proven difficult to fully denote the neurocognitive architecture underlying prosody. This review discusses clinical and neuroscientific evidence regarding both linguistic and emotional prosody. It will become obvious that prosody processing is a multistage operation and that its temporally and functionally distinct processing steps are anchored in a functionally differentiated brain network