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01-12-2020 | Original Article

Auditory and frontal anatomic correlates of pitch discrimination in musicians, non-musicians, and children without musical training

Authors: María-Ángeles Palomar-García, Mireia Hernández, Gustau Olcina, Jesús Adrián-Ventura, Víctor Costumero, Anna Miró-Padilla, Esteban Villar-Rodríguez, César Ávila

Published in: Brain Structure and Function | Issue 9/2020

Abstract

Individual differences in pitch discrimination have been associated with the volume of both the bilateral Heschl’s gyrus and the right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG). However, most of these studies used samples composed of individuals with different amounts of musical training. Here, we investigated the relationship between pitch discrimination and individual differences in the gray matter (GM) volume of these brain structures in 32 adult musicians, 28 adult non-musicians, and 32 children without musical training. The results showed that (i) the individuals without musical training (whether children or adults) who were better at pitch discrimination had greater volume of auditory regions, whereas (ii) musicians with better pitch discrimination had greater volume of the IFG. These results suggest that the relationship between pitch discrimination and the volume of auditory regions is innately established early in life, and that musical training modulates the volume of the IFG, probably improving audio-motor connectivity. This is the first study to detect a relationship between pitch discrimination ability and GM volume before beginning any musical training in children and adults.

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Title: Auditory and frontal anatomic correlates of pitch discrimination in musicians, non-musicians, and children without musical training
Authors: María-Ángeles Palomar-García
Mireia Hernández
Gustau Olcina
Jesús Adrián-Ventura
Víctor Costumero
Anna Miró-Padilla
Esteban Villar-Rodríguez
César Ávila
Publication date: 01-12-2020
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in: Brain Structure and Function / Issue 9/2020
Print ISSN: 1863-2653
Electronic ISSN: 1863-2661
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-020-02151-1

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Auditory and frontal anatomic correlates of pitch discrimination in musicians, non-musicians, and children without musical training

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