| Leftward lateralization of auditory cortex underlies holistic sound perception in Williams syndrome. | |
| | |
MedLine Citation:
|
PMID: 20808792 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
|
BACKGROUND: Individuals with the rare genetic disorder Williams-Beuren syndrome (WS) are known for their characteristic auditory phenotype including strong affinity to music and sounds. In this work we attempted to pinpoint a neural substrate for the characteristic musicality in WS individuals by studying the structure-function relationship of their auditory cortex. Since WS subjects had only minor musical training due to psychomotor constraints we hypothesized that any changes compared to the control group would reflect the contribution of genetic factors to auditory processing and musicality. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Using psychoacoustics, magnetoencephalography and magnetic resonance imaging, we show that WS individuals exhibit extreme and almost exclusive holistic sound perception, which stands in marked contrast to the even distribution of this trait in the general population. Functionally, this was reflected by increased amplitudes of left auditory evoked fields. On the structural level, volume of the left auditory cortex was 2.2-fold increased in WS subjects as compared to control subjects. Equivalent volumes of the auditory cortex have been previously reported for professional musicians. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: There has been an ongoing debate in the neuroscience community as to whether increased gray matter of the auditory cortex in musicians is attributable to the amount of training or innate disposition. In this study musical education of WS subjects was negligible and control subjects were carefully matched for this parameter. Therefore our results not only unravel the neural substrate for this particular auditory phenotype, but in addition propose WS as a unique genetic model for training-independent auditory system properties. |
| | |
Authors:
|
Martina Wengenroth; Maria Blatow; Martin Bendszus; Peter Schneider |
Publication Detail:
|
Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Date: 2010-08-23 |
Journal Detail:
|
Title: PloS one Volume: 5 ISSN: 1932-6203 ISO Abbreviation: PLoS ONE Publication Date: 2010 |
Date Detail:
|
Created Date: 2010-09-02 Completed Date: 2010-11-04 Revised Date: - |
Medline Journal Info:
|
Nlm Unique ID: 101285081 Medline TA: PLoS One Country: United States |
Other Details:
|
Languages: eng Pagination: e12326 Citation Subset: IM |
Affiliation:
|
Department of Neuroradiology, University of Heidelberg Medical School, Heidelberg, Germany. martina.wengenroth@med.uni-heidelberg.de |
Export Citation:
|
APA/MLA Format Download EndNote Download BibTex |
| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
|
Adolescent Adult Auditory Cortex / pathology, physiopathology* Auditory Perception / physiology* Child Evoked Potentials, Auditory Female Functional Laterality* Humans Male Organ Size Williams Syndrome / pathology, physiopathology* Young Adult |
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
Previous Document: Structure activity relationship of dendrimer microbicides with dual action antiviral activity.
Next Document: Are Cytochrome P450 CYP2C8 and CYP2C9 Polymorphisms Associated with Ibuprofen Response in Very Prete...