[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/7096\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003ELink between music and speech rhythm in brain could provide language insight\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018When I play it with the right tempo, everybody recognises it,\u2019 said Dr Bueti, a neuroscientist from the International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA) in Trieste, Italy. People are amazed by how different the two sound, she says.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EProcessing time is important for many daily activities from walking to playing sports. It helps coordinate movements, like knowing when to hit a tennis ball.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDr Bueti is studying how our brain makes sense of short time intervals ranging from hundreds of milliseconds to just a few seconds. Short durations are what we perceive while listening to music, for instance. They are also crucial for understanding speech, since pauses between syllables and words affect meaning.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We use regularities in speech to predict how language will unfold and it\u0027s also important for language acquisition,\u2019 said Dr Alan Langus, a neuroscientist at the University of Potsdam\u2019s BabyLab in Germany. \u2018When young infants don\u0027t understand a language yet they can use rhythmic cues to understand where words begin and how words are grouped into sentences.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMuch of how our brain perceives time \u2013 and hence rhythm \u2013 is still a mystery. Although there are dedicated brain regions for receiving and decoding sensory information, such as what we see and hear, others seem to be involved in processing time. But how these regions communicate \u2013 and the mechanisms they use to process durations \u2013 are unclear. Likewise, we still don\u2019t know whether the same mechanism\u0026nbsp;underlies the\u0026nbsp;processing of different types of rhythmic information such as speech and music.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBetter understanding this should help reveal whether there is a link between rhythm in speech and music, says Dr Langus. If this is the case, musical training could also benefit language skills, he adds.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ERhythm\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDr Langus and his colleagues studied how the brain processes rhythm in speech and music for a project called \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/rcn\/208235\/factsheet\/en\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003ERHYTHMSYNC\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPrevious research has tried to either measure reaction times, such as tapping to a beat, for example, or has directly looked at brain activity. But the team took a novel approach, using eye tracking - a cheaper technique than brain scans \u2013 to see whether people\u2019s pupils change size in time with rhythm.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018It\u2019s spontaneous so we don\u0027t have to tell participants to tap to a rhythm, or to synchronise their behaviour,\u2019 said Dr Langus. \u2018The brain is doing that automatically.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn trials, participants listened to either speech or music alone, then there was switching between the two. The team found that volunteers\u2019 pupils pulsated to a rhythmic beat irrespective of whether it came from speech or music.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis suggests that the brain uses the same mechanism to process rhythm in music and speech and that it doesn\u2019t distinguish between the different stimuli on a temporal level.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThere are still details to pin down though. Speech and music are rhythmically different. In music, time intervals are regular whereas in language they are not.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Now what we\u0027re trying to do is to see how the mind copes with this variability in perceiving speech rhythm,\u2019 said Dr Langus.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe team is now investigating how the brain perceives foreign languages that are rhythmically different from a person\u2019s native tongue. Through eye-tracking experiments with native German speakers, they will look at their ability to process Italian and French speech, where syllables are roughly of equal duration. Then they will compare perceptions to Dutch and Polish. In these two languages, time intervals between stressed syllables are of the same duration.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETime map\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWe also know a little more about how the brain processes short rhythmic durations after Dr Bueti and her colleagues broke new ground this year by \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/journals.plos.org\/plosbiology\/article?id=10.1371\/journal.pbio.3000026\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Eshowing that a time map exists in the brain\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cfigure role=\u0022group\u0022 class=\u0022@alignleft@\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cimg alt=\u0022Chronomaps show the area of the brain which processes short time duration, with blue representing the shortest duration and red the longest. Image credit - PLOS Biology\u0022 height=\u0022512\u0022 src=\u0022\/research-and-innovation\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/IMCEUpload\/Chronomaps.jpg\u0022 title=\u0022Chronomaps show the area of the brain which processes short time duration, with blue representing the shortest duration and red the longest. Image credit - PLOS Biology\u0022 width=\u00221024\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022tw-italic tw-mb-4\u0022\u003EChronomaps show the area of the brain which processes short time duration, with blue representing the shortest duration and red the longest. Image credit - PLOS Biology\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe map was found in the supplementary motor area (SMA), a part of the cerebral cortex involved in movement control. It was discovered by using fMRI to scan the brain of volunteers while they looked at images flashed on a screen. Their brain activity was recorded as they decided which of two images was presented for longer, with durations ranging from 200 milliseconds to three seconds.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe map is a topographic representation where neurons which process similar time durations are close to each other. Neurons at the front of the map were activated by the shortest lengths of time, while longer durations extended towards the back.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs they used images, Dr Bueti expected the time map to appear in the visual cortex. However, its presence in a motion-related area is consistent with the role of other regions such as the cerebellum or basal ganglia which are involved in processing time.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018I think it\u2019s probably because the way we sense time is related to motion, to something that changes either perceptually or at the motor level,\u2019 said Dr Bueti, who carried out the research as part of a project called \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/rcn\/204734\/factsheet\/en\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003EBiT\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERecent research showed that \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/science.sciencemag.org\/content\/341\/6150\/1123\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Ethe brain also has a map for perceiving numbers.\u003C\/a\u003E Dr Bueti hopes to investigate how the two maps are related. She also wants to determine whether the time map exists from birth or is a byproduct of experience and plans to explore this through experiments using fMRI scans of adults, babies and newborns.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELanguage \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn fact, being able to pin down rhythm perception in infants could also help to identify language problems early on.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDifficulties are typically recognised when a child is learning to read. \u2018Testing abnormal language development in very young infants is difficult because there are very few predictors,\u2019 said Dr Langus.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe and his colleagues have done eye-tracking experiments with five and six-month-old babies to see if pupil changes reflect their rhythm perception. They are currently analysing the data.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIf rhythm perception in music and language is indeed linked, then a baby who has trouble synchronising to a beat may also find it hard to read when they are older. According to Dr Langus, eye-tracking rhythm tests could help forecast future language skills.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003E\u0026#039;The way we sense time is related to motion, to something that changes either perceptually or at the motor level.\u0026#039;\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EDr Domenica Bueti, International School for Advanced Studies, Trieste, Italy\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECertain conditions that are characterised by abnormal timekeeping could also be better identified by using the time map discovered by Dr Bueti and her colleagues. People with schizophrenia and Parkinson\u2019s disease, for example, have temporal deficits.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe time map of a healthy individual could help with diagnosis by seeing how it differs to that of someone with a condition. \u2018This is something for the future to be explored,\u2019 said Dr Bueti.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThe research in this article was funded by the EU. If you liked this article, please consider sharing it on social media.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/textarea\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003Cdiv id=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 class=\u0022ecl-help-block description\u0022\u003E\n Please copy the above code and embed it onto your website to republish.\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cinput autocomplete=\u0022off\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022form-9fioxy-t9yelqwrgvli-b3g31odrg8nl9fhrqkmj-h4\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_build_id\u0022 value=\u0022form-9FIoxy_t9YELQWrgVLi-b3G31odRg8NL9fHRQkMj_h4\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003Cinput data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_id\u0022 value=\u0022modal_form_example_modal_form\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/form\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E","dialogOptions":{"width":"800","modal":true,"title":"Republish this content"}}]