Subcortical processing of speech regularities underlies reading and music aptitude in children

Abstract

BackgroundNeural sensitivity to acoustic regularities supports fundamental human behaviors such as hearing in noise and reading. Although the failure to encode acoustic regularities in ongoing speech has been associated with language and literacy deficits, how auditory expertise, such as the expertise that is associated with musical skill, relates to the brainstem processing of speech regularities is unknown. An association between musical skill and neural sensitivity to acoustic regularities would not be surprising given the importance of repetition and regularity in music. Here, we aimed to define relationships between the subcortical processing of speech regularities, music aptitude, and reading abilities in children with and without reading impairment. We hypothesized that, in combination with auditory cognitive abilities, neural sensitivity to regularities in ongoing speech provides a common biological mechanism underlying the development of music and reading abilities.MethodsWe assessed auditory working memory and attention, music aptitude, reading ability, and neural sensitivity to acoustic regularities in 42 school-aged children with a wide range of reading ability. Neural sensitivity to acoustic regularities was assessed by recording brainstem responses to the same speech sound presented in predictable and variable speech streams.ResultsThrough correlation analyses and structural equation modeling, we reveal that music aptitude and literacy both relate to the extent of subcortical adaptation to regularities in ongoing speech as well as with auditory working memory and attention. Relationships between music and speech processing are specifically driven by performance on a musical rhythm task, underscoring the importance of rhythmic regularity for both language and music.ConclusionsThese data indicate common brain mechanisms underlying reading and music abilities that relate to how the nervous system responds to regularities in auditory input. Definition of common biological underpinnings for music and reading supports the usefulness of music for promoting child literacy, with the potential to improve reading remediation.

Individual Differences in Rhythm Skills: Links with Neural Consistency and Linguistic Ability

“…Indeed, participants with higher Rhythm Sequence Factor scores were more proficient on a number of language and cognitive measures, including auditory working memory, word reading, and non-word reading. This finding replicates reports of a link between rhythm sequence perception and both reading (Atterbury, 1985;McGivern et al, 1991;Douglas & Willatts, 1994;Overy, 2000Overy, , 2003Forgeard et al, 2008;Dellatolas et al, 2009;Strait et al, 2011;González-Trujillo et al, 2012;Flaugnacco et al, 2014) and verbal memory (Saito, 2001). Further research (longitudinal and cross-sectional) is needed to understand how links between rhythm and language skills change with age.…”

“…Mounting evidence suggests that rhythmic deficits are tied to language impairment: abnormally poor reading and phonological awareness have been linked to difficulties with rhythm skills as diverse as synchronization (Thomson, Fryer, Maltby, & Goswami, 2006; Thomson & Goswami, 2008;Corriveau & Goswami, 2009;Tierney & Kraus, 2013b;Flaugnacco et al, 2014), beat extraction (David, Wade-Wolley, Kirby, & Smithrim, 2007), metrical perception (Huss, Verney, Fosker, Mead, & Goswami, 2011), rhythm memory (Dellatolas, Watier, Le Normand, Lubart, & Chevrie-Muller 2009;González-Trujillo, Defior, & Gutiérrez-Palma, 2012;Flaugnacco et al 2014), and rhythm discrimination (McGivern, Berka, Languis, & Chapman, 1991;Douglas & Willatts, 1994;Strait, Hornickel, & Kraus, 2011). In fact, links between synchronization ability and reading readiness skills have even been observed in pre-schoolers too young to have received reading instruction (Woodruff Carr, White-Schwoch, Tierney, Strait, & Kraus, 2014).…”

Developmental dyslexia: The difficulties of interpreting poor performance, and the importance of normal performance

“…They found that repetition enhanced stimulus representation (subcortical auditory event-related potential, ERP, responses), but that this repetition effect was weakened in dyslexia. Similar results were found for poor readers (Strait, Hornickel, & Kraus, 2011). Oganian and Ahissar (2012) also measured the impact of repetition on reading rate and found that for controls, irregular words quickly become "regular" in a repeated context.…”

The Potential Role of Music in Second Language Learning: A Review Article

“…Herrera et al (2011) demonstrated that 2 years of phonological and music training improve reading readiness in native speakers and L2 learners. Strait, Hornickel, and Kraus (2011) Adult musicians performed better than musically naive subjects and equivalently to Chinese experts in the lexical tone discrimination task…”