Specialization among the specialized: Auditory brainstem function is tuned in to timbre

摘要

Evidence has mounted documenting widespread musician enhancements in an evolutionarily ancient subcortical structure, the auditory brainstem, highlighting the brainstem as a structure involved in learning-related brain plasticity (Banai and Kraus, 2007; Krishnan et al., 2009). Musicians not only show more precise subcortical encoding of music, but of speech and emotional communication sounds as well (Kraus and Chandrasekaran, 2010; Kraus et al., 2009). Though remarkable, such observations cannot disambiguate the source of this musician advantage. Does musical training shape subcortical auditory processing, or are individuals born with more refined auditory brainstem function predisposed to pursue musical training? Although neurobiological studies