title: Intracortical myelination in musicians with absolute pitch: Quantitative morphometry using 7-T MRI.
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.
authors.affiliation: Research Group for MEG and EEG-Cortical Networks and Cognitive Functions, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Seung-Goo
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Research Group for MEG and EEG-Cortical Networks and Cognitive Functions, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Knösche
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D044466:Asian People; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009146:Music; D009186:Myelin Sheath; D010897:Pitch Discrimination; D011214:Practice, Psychological; D011361:Professional Competence; D011581:Psychological Tests; D066127:White Matter / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D044465:White People
keywords: frequency discrimination; myeloarchitecture; pitch chroma; planum polare; relaxometry; ultra-high field magnetic resonance imaging