Abstract
Absolute pitch (AP) is known as the ability to recognize and label the pitch chroma of a given tone without external reference. Known brain structures and functions related to AP are mainly of macroscopic aspects. To shed light on the underlying neural mechanism of AP, we investigated the intracortical myeloarchitecture in musicians with and without AP using the quantitative mapping of the longitudinal relaxation rates with ultra‐high‐field magnetic resonance imaging at 7 T. We found greater intracortical myelination for AP musicians in the anterior region of the supratemporal plane, particularly the medial region of the right planum polare (PP). In the same region of the right PP, we also found a positive correlation with a behavioral index of AP performance. In addition, we found a positive correlation with a frequency discrimination threshold in the anterolateral Heschl's gyrus in the right hemisphere, demonstrating distinctive neural processes of absolute recognition and relative discrimination of pitch. Regarding possible effects of local myelination in the cortex and the known importance of the anterior superior temporal gyrus/sulcus for the identification of auditory objects, we argue that pitch chroma may be processed as an identifiable object property in AP musicians. Hum Brain Mapp 37:3486–3501, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Highlights
While our findings associate the Absolute pitch (AP) ability with the myeloarchitecture of the right anterior supra-temporal plane (STP) that is part of the ventral auditory pathway, some previous studies have found heightened leftward specialization in the posterior STP in AP musicians compared to non-AP musicians [Keenan et al, 2001; Luders et al, 2004; Schlaug et al, 1995]
Further to some recent studies reporting in vivo measurements of myelin concentration and tonotopic organization in human auditory cortex [De Martino et al, 2014; Dick et al, 2012], we found a correlation between in vivo mapping of intracortical myelination in the right anterolateral Heschl’s gyrus (HG) extending to the lateral superior temporal gyrus (STG), which corresponds to Te3 in non-primary auditory cortex [Morosan et al, 2001], and the frequency resolution in auditory perception of musicians for the first time
We found greater intracortical myelination in an area within the right planum polare (PP) in AP musicians compared to non-AP musicians, which was spatially distinct from another area in the anterolateral HG that correlated with frequency discrimination threshold (FDT)
Summary
Eight AP musicians (five women) and nine non-AP musicians (five women) participated in MRI and behavioral experiments at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig, Germany. Participants were recruited via the Institute’s participant database and flyers posted in the University of Music and Theatre “Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy” Leipzig and the University of Leipzig. An abbreviated audiometry, which was used to equalize stimuli presentation loudness across participants, confirmed intact hearing of all musicians. Prior to recruitment of musicians who identified themselves to have AP, a web-based AP test was used to confirm it (!80% correct answers). There was one case of self-reported absence of AP, which was re-categorized into the AP group based on that test. The local ethics committee approved the experimental protocol, and all participants submitted written informed consents prior to experiments
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