title: Neural Biomarkers for Dyslexia, ADHD, and ADD in the Auditory Cortex of Children.
abstract: Dyslexia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and attention deficit disorder (ADD) show distinct clinical profiles that may include auditory and language-related impairments. Currently, an objective brain-based diagnosis of these developmental disorders is still unavailable. We investigated the neuro-auditory systems of dyslexic, ADHD, ADD, and age-matched control children (N = 147) using neuroimaging, magnetencephalography and psychoacoustics. All disorder subgroups exhibited an oversized left planum temporale and an abnormal interhemispheric asynchrony (10-40 ms) of the primary auditory evoked P1-response. Considering right auditory cortex morphology, bilateral P1 source waveform shapes, and auditory performance, the three disorder subgroups could be reliably differentiated with outstanding accuracies of 89-98%. We therefore for the first time provide differential biomarkers for a brain-based diagnosis of dyslexia, ADHD, and ADD. The method allowed not only allowed for clear discrimination between two subtypes of attentional disorders (ADHD and ADD), a topic controversially discussed for decades in the scientific community, but also revealed the potential for objectively identifying comorbid cases. Noteworthy, in children playing a musical instrument, after three and a half years of training the observed interhemispheric asynchronies were reduced by about 2/3, thus suggesting a strong beneficial influence of music experience on brain development. These findings might have far-reaching implications for both research and practice and enable a profound understanding of the brain-related etiology, diagnosis, and musically based therapy of common auditory-related developmental disorders and learning disabilities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Section of Biomagnetism, University Hospital HeidelbergHeidelberg, Germany; Division of Neuroradiology, University Hospital HeidelbergHeidelberg, Germany; Division of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Kantonsspital St. GallenSt. Gallen, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Bettina
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Serrallach
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Section of Biomagnetism, University Hospital Heidelberg Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Groß
authors.affiliation: Latvian Academy of Music Riga, Latvia.
authors.forename: Valdis
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bernhofs
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Section of Biomagnetism, University Hospital Heidelberg Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Dorte
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Engelmann
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Section of Biomagnetism, University Hospital HeidelbergHeidelberg, Germany; Division of Neuroradiology, Department of Radiology, University of Basel HospitalBasel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Benner
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Section of Biomagnetism, University Hospital Heidelberg Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Nadine
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gündert
authors.affiliation: Division of Neuroradiology, Department of Radiology, University of Basel Hospital Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Blatow
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroradiology, University Hospital Lübeck Lübeck, Germany.
authors.forename: Martina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wengenroth
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Neurology, University Hospital Heidelberg Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Angelika
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Seitz
authors.affiliation: Phoniatrics and Pedaudiology, University Hospital Heidelberg Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brunner
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychology, University of GrazGraz, Austria; BioTechMed GrazGraz, Austria.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Seither
authors.affiliation: Centre for Systematic Musicology, University of Graz Graz, Austria.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Parncutt
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Section of Biomagnetism, University Hospital HeidelbergHeidelberg, Germany; Division of Neuroradiology, University Hospital HeidelbergHeidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Section of Biomagnetism, University Hospital HeidelbergHeidelberg, Germany; Division of Neuroradiology, University Hospital HeidelbergHeidelberg, Germany; Institute of Psychology, University of GrazGraz, Austria; BioTechMed GrazGraz, Austria; Centre for Systematic Musicology, University of GrazGraz, Austria.
authors.forename: Annemarie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Seither-Preisler
keywords: auditory cortex; auditory evoked fields; developmental disorders; hemispheric asymmetries; magnetencephalography; magnetic resonance imaging; musical learning; synchronization