Abstract
Research has shown that dyslexia and attention deficit (hyperactivity) disorder (AD(H)D) are characterized by specific neuroanatomical and neurofunctional differences in the auditory cortex. These neurofunctional characteristics in children with ADHD, ADD and dyslexia are linked to distinct differences in music perception. Group-specific differences in the musical performance of patients with ADHD, ADD and dyslexia have not been investigated in detail so far. We investigated the musical performance and neurophysiological correlates of 21 adolescents with dyslexia, 19 with ADHD, 28 with ADD and 28 age-matched, unaffected controls using a music performance assessment scale and magnetoencephalography (MEG). Musical experts independently assessed pitch and rhythmic accuracy, intonation, improvisation skills and musical expression. Compared to dyslexic adolescents, controls as well as adolescents with ADHD and ADD performed better in rhythmic reproduction, rhythmic improvisation and musical expression. Controls were significantly better in rhythmic reproduction than adolescents with ADD and scored higher in rhythmic and pitch improvisation than adolescents with ADHD. Adolescents with ADD and controls scored better in pitch reproduction than dyslexic adolescents. In pitch improvisation, the ADD group performed better than the ADHD group, and controls scored better than dyslexic adolescents. Discriminant analysis revealed that rhythmic improvisation and musical expression discriminate the dyslexic group from controls and adolescents with ADHD and ADD. A second discriminant analysis based on MEG variables showed that absolute P1 latency asynchrony |R-L| distinguishes the control group from the disorder groups best, while P1 and N1 latencies averaged across hemispheres separate the control, ADD and ADHD groups from the dyslexic group. Furthermore, rhythmic improvisation was negatively correlated with auditory-evoked P1 and N1 latencies, pointing in the following direction: the earlier the P1 and N1 latencies (mean), the better the rhythmic improvisation. These findings provide novel insight into the differences between music processing and performance in adolescents with and without neurodevelopmental disorders. A better understanding of these differences may help to develop tailored preventions or therapeutic interventions.
Highlights
Musical performance is a very complex human capability and requires a broad variety of skills, including precise instrument/vocal control and technique with accuracy of notes, rhythm and phrasing as well as interpretational skills such as appropriate tempo and dynamic, suitable sense of style and involvement in the music [1].For the assessment of musical ability, several well-designed musical perceptual measurements such as the Seashore test [2], the Intermediate Measures of Musical Audiation [3], the Advanced Measures of Musical Audiation [4], the Montreal Battery of Evaluation of Amusia [5] and the more recently developed Profile of Music Perception Skills [6] are available
The goal of this study was to (a) evaluate the group-specific characteristics of musical performance in adolescents with dyslexia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and attention deficit disorder without hyperactivity (ADD), and (b) to investigate whether the potentially found differences in performance can be correlated to the response pattern of the auditory cortex as measured using magnetoencephalography (MEG)
The means of the individual groups for the variables under consideration are provided in Section 3 (Table S8) in the
Summary
Musical performance is a very complex human capability and requires a broad variety of skills, including precise instrument/vocal control and technique with accuracy of notes, rhythm and phrasing as well as interpretational skills such as appropriate tempo and dynamic, suitable sense of style and involvement in the music [1].For the assessment of musical ability, several well-designed musical perceptual measurements such as the Seashore test [2], the Intermediate Measures of Musical Audiation [3], the Advanced Measures of Musical Audiation [4], the Montreal Battery of Evaluation of Amusia [5] and the more recently developed Profile of Music Perception Skills [6] are available. Music performance assessments are often based on very time-consuming approaches [14] with rating scales based on certain criteria chosen by experts in the field [15,16,17,18,19]. These rating scales may be used in flexible ways and can be adapted according to specific rating criteria [11], which has the advantage that longer sequences can be assessed [14]. As our cohort included individuals with dyslexia, ADD and ADHD, we decided to use rating scales, since piloting has shown that individuals with diagnoses more frequently sang parts of the musical pieces out of tune
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