Neural Correlates of Processing Syntax in Music and ... - PubMan

Music and Language 49
Nonetheless, the parts of this network are not necessarily specific to the processing of
syntax: e.g., the inferior part of the right IFG was found to be involved in prosody processing
(cf. Friederici & Alter, 2004; see also M. Meyer et al., 2000; Wartenburger et al.,
2007). Vice versa, the left IFG was found to subserve a variety of musically relevant
activities, e.g., music discrimination (Platel et al., 1997), processing and organization of
sequential sound stimuli (Platel et al., 1997), sight reading (Sergent et al., 1992), and
score reading while listening to the accuracy of a performance (Parsons, 2001). Similar
brain regions were involved in the processing of rhythmic information (interval length,
Schubotz & von Cramon, 2001b) and in the perception and reproduction of rapid temporal
pattern (Fiez et al., 1995; Platel et al., 1997; Rao et al., 1997; Schubotz et al.,
2000).
Put to a more abstract level, the functional significance of the inferior frontal cortex
may be related to sequential operations in order to process and integrate structured information
(see Bornkessel, Zysset, Friederici, von Cramon, & Schlesewsky, 2005; Gelfand
& Bookheimer, 2003; Janata & Grafton, 2003; Mesulam, 1998).
Lashley (1951) proposed that sequencing and coordination of behaviour may be regarded
as a form of grammar. In accordance, the ability to reproduce arbitrary sequences
of 5 gestures was predictive for later grammatical development (around 28
months of age; Bauer, Hertsgaard, Dropik, & Daly, 1998). Since movements can be
considered as communicative gestures there might be a relation to language. The inferior
frontal cortex (especially the pars opercularis and the adjacent ventral premotor
cortex) were involved in a wide range of motor functions (for a review, see Binkofski &
Buccino, 2004). For example, this brain area was shown to code motor schemas relevant
for grasping objects (Jeannerod, Arbib, Rizzolatti, & Sakata, 1995; Rizzolatti et al.,
1996; Rizzolatti, Fogassi, & Gallese, 2002) and to have complementary cognitive functions,
involved in representing, imagining and understanding observed actions
(Binkofski et al., 2000; Hamzei et al., 2003; Rizzolatti & Craighero, 2004; Rizzolatti et
al., 2002; Schubotz & von Cramon, 2002).
4.4 Conclusion
It was shown, that language and music may have evolved from a common ancestor.
This might be the reason why strong similarities between these two domains can be
observed. Moreover, some processing mechanisms and constraints may be involved in
both, the acquisition of music and language. Moreover, prosody – representing the musical
aspects of language – is assumed to pave the infant’s way into the acquisition of
semantics and syntax. With respect to the neural correlates, there is considerable evidence
for a strong overlap of these between language and music processing: it was