Kraus, N.
Northwestern University
We have developed a conceptual framework for auditory processing that recognizes that the auditory system comprises an integrated and distributed network of cognitive, sensorimotor and reward centers. The simultaneous unfolding of acoustic events at multiple time scales is a fundamental property of both speech and music, and we have capitalized on neural probes of this interactive auditory circuit by gauging the entirety of the circuit?s activation at multiple time scales. This biological approach allows us to assess the intrinsic and inherent properties of the brain, as well as its response to the complex and simultaneously-occurring acoustic factors in speech and music. One such intrinsic factor is the stability of neural firing. An animal model of neural stability has confirmed that it is a fundamental nervous system property upon which sound processing and ultimately reading depends. In concert with stability, certain acoustic properties of the response to a syllable in a noisy background predict future performance on building blocks of language. In a longitudinal study of young children, pre-reading three year olds, who have suboptimal neural stability and processing of speech consonants, later have poor performance on foundational literacy skills when they are old enough to be assessed by paper-and-pencil tests. Interestingly, aspects of neural processing of sound important for language development are strengthened by music experience. In children who have had their language and literacy abilities compromised the linguistic deprivation endemic of poverty, we have demonstrated tangible brain changes in those who engage in music training in school or in community music programs. With our probe of auditory processing, we have a uniform measure that might be deployed in clinics, schools, and field studies to uncover biological mechanisms of reading ability and guide strategies for intervention.