WWW.JNEUROSCI.ORG
-
The Journal of Neuroscience The New Axio Examiner
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     
-


HOME  |   SEARCH  |   ARCHIVE  |   SUBSCRIBE  |   CONTACT  |   HELP
The Journal of Neuroscience, November 21, 2007, 27(47):13028-13032; doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3039-07.2007

This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Submit an eLetter
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (1)
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Hyde, K. L.
Right arrow Articles by Peretz, I.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Hyde, K. L.
Right arrow Articles by Peretz, I.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Brief Communications
Cortical Thickness in Congenital Amusia: When Less Is Better Than More

Krista L. Hyde,1,2 Jason P. Lerch,3 Robert J. Zatorre,1 Timothy D. Griffiths,4 Alan C. Evans,1 and Isabelle Peretz2

1Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3A 2B4, 2Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3C 3J7, 3Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5G 1X8, and 4Newcastle University Medical School, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, United Kingdom

Correspondence should be addressed to Krista L. Hyde, McConnell Brain Imaging Center, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, 3801 University Street, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3A 2B4. Email: krista.hyde{at}mail.mcgill.ca

Congenital amusia (or tone deafness) is a lifelong disorder characterized by impairments in the perception and production of music. A previous voxel-based morphometry (VBM) study revealed that amusic individuals had reduced white matter in the right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) relative to musically intact controls (Hyde et al., 2006). However, this VBM study also revealed associated increases in gray matter in the same right IFG region of amusics. The objective of the present study was to better understand this morphological brain anomaly by way of cortical thickness measures that provide a more specific measure of cortical morphology relative to VBM. We found that amusic subjects (n = 21) have thicker cortex in the right IFG and the right auditory cortex relative to musically intact controls (n = 26). These cortical thickness differences suggest the presence of cortical malformations in the amusic brain, such as abnormal neuronal migration, that may have compromised the normal development of a right frontotemporal pathway.

Key words: congenital amusia; tone deafness; music; brain; cortical thickness; MRI

Received March 27, 2007; revised Sept. 13, 2007; accepted Oct. 22, 2007.

Correspondence should be addressed to Krista L. Hyde, McConnell Brain Imaging Center, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, 3801 University Street, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3A 2B4. Email: krista.hyde{at}mail.mcgill.ca






-

Home  |   Search  |   Archive  |   Subscribe  |   Contact  |   Help
-
Copyright 2008 by Society for Neuroscience ONLINE ISSN: 1529-2401
-