Music and Language: Shared Temporal Processing

According to emerging evidence, rhythmic processing (e.g., beat synchronization) plays a critical role in phonological encoding and decoding; to the extreme, deficits in the former processing manifest as dyslexia and the latter as stuttering. In a recent fMRI-genetic study, we demonstrated that both behavioral and neural differences in rhythm/timing processing were influenced by a DRD2 polymorphism (Wiener, Lee, Lohoff, & Coslett, 2014). A similar fMRI-genetic study revealed that DRD2 polymorphism caused poor grammar sequence learning and reduced activity in the basal ganglia (Wong, Ettlinger, & Zheng, 2013). Here, we will first establish direct relations between music and speech/language processes within the same individuals prior to fMRI-genetic studies.

Associated Publications

Moritz, M., Heard, M., Kim, H.-W., & Lee, Y.-S. (2020). Invariance of Edit-Distance to Tempo in Rhythm Similarity. Psychology of Music. Uncorrected proof here.
Heard, M., & Lee, Y.-S. (2020). Shared neural resources of rhythm and syntax: An ALE Meta-Analysis. Neuropsychologia, 107284.
Wiener, M., Lee, Y.-S., Lohoff, F. W., & Coslett, H. B. (2014). Individual differences in the morphometry and activation of time perception networks are influenced by dopamine genotype. NeuroImage, 89, 10–22.

Videos

Human Perception of Rhythm Similarity Talk by Matt Moritz

Video Game Therapy for Chronic Aphasia

This interdisciplinary research program aims to bridge the gap between rehabilitation and neuroscience by elucidating a hitherto unknown neural mechanism, i.e., compensatory brain plasticity leading to speech and language recovery following therapy with state-of-the-art neuroimaging and video game technology.

Associated Publications

Lee, Y.-S., Zreik, J. T., & Hamilton, R. H. (2017). Patterns of neural activity predict picture-naming performance of a patient with chronic aphasia. Neuropsychologia, 94, 52-60.

Participating Institutes/Companies

  • Flint Rehab

Grants

Chronic Brain Injury Pilot Award Program (Ohio State)
National Science Foundation Grant
NIH R21 (funded)
NIH Small Business Innovation Research

Videos

Aphasia Rhythm Therapy

Music-Based Intervention Program for School-Age Children

Successful academic activities of school-age children rely on efficient speech and language processing. Although 10-15% of children are diagnosed with some type of speech/language disorder (dyslexia, specific language impairment, etc.), there are likely many children with speech/language deficiencies that are on the borderline of the pathologic range or are within it but lack the diagnostic resources to identify such deficits. Through community partnerships with the Columbus City Schools, we aim to 1) offer brain-based diagnostic opportunities to these children vulnerable to academic failure in the Ohio school system, 2) provide them with music-based intervention programs that will promote brain regions mediating overlapping processes between music and language, and 3) establish neural foundations of brain plasticity following behavioral improvement with a state-of-the-art portable neuroimaging device (i.e., functional near-infrared spectroscopy, fNIRS). This project will constitute the first step towards making a valuable contribution to the Ohio education community, as well as to the neuroscience research field.

List of Collaborators

Linda K. Thibodeau, Ph.D. (Behavioral and Brain Sciences, UTD)

Associated Publications

Lee, Y.-S., Ahn, S, Holt, R. F., & Schellenberg, E. G. (2020). Rhythm and Syntax Processing in School-Age Children. Developmental Psychology, 56(9), 1632-1641.

Grants

Shimadzu Equipment Grants for Education & Research
OSU Social and Behavioral Sciences Small Grant