Behavioral and electrophysiological correlates of temporal and spectral processing in absolute pitch

• Grant number: 17/06954-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: August 01, 2017
• End date: July 31, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Speech Therapy
• Principal Investigator: Eliane Schochat
• Grantee: Carlos Alberto Leite Filho
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina (FM). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Introduction: Temporal and spectral sound processing are essential for efficient communication. Behavioral and electrophysiological methods allow the study of perceptual and neurobiological substrates of these processes. Given this background, musicians with absolute pitch, that is, who are able to identify musical notes without external reference, are an unique model for studying temporal and spectral processing. Objective: to investigate the behavioral and electrophysiological correlates of temporal and spectral processing in musicians with absolute pitch. Method: this is a prospective observational analytical cross-sectional study in which 48 young adults without risk factors for peripheral or central hearing disorders and normal results in auditory evaluation, auditory processing screening and auditory brainstem evoked response will be organized in three groups of 16 individuals according to musical training history and performance on the absolute pitch test: group of musicians with absolute pitch, group of musicians without absolute pitch and group of non-musicians. All subjects will be submitted to auditory temporal backward masking test and speech-evoked frequency-following response recording. The three groups will be compared regarding parameters of these procedures and correlations between these parameters and performance on the absolute pitch test will be investigated. (AU)