Rhythm as an essential part of music and speech abilities: Conclusions of a clinical experimental study in 34 patients

Author(s): Berthold, H.

Journal/Book: Revue Roumaine de Neurologie et Psychiatrie. 1983; 21: 168-172.

Abstract: 12 patients with right cerebral lesions, 22 patients with left cerebral lesions, and 26 normal controls were divided into 3 groups of varying musical ability and administered a musical rhythm test and measures of musical performance. Group I consisted of Ss without musical training in theory or on an instrument, Group II consisted of Ss who played musical instruments without any formal training, and Group III consisted of amateur or professional musicians with training in theory and instrumentation. Results indicate 2 main forms of rhythmic disturbances: receptive, in which impairment of rhythmic reproduction was due to problems in the perceptive faculty for rhythmic material; and expressive, in which Ss were fully aware of their impaired reproduction but were unable to correct it. Expressive disturbances were found in 14.7% of all Ss, amusic disturbances were found in 73.5% of all Ss, and rhythmic disturbances were found in 56% of amusic Ss. Receptive rhythmic disturbances were exclusively found in Ss with left hemisphere lesions and were accompanied in two-thirds of the cases by motor aphasia. The intimate relationship of rhythmic impairment and motor aphasia suggests that training of rhythmic sense as a basic structure of both music and speech could improve disturbances of all modalities. (7 ref)

Note: musical ability; receptive & expressive rhythmic disturbances & motor aphasia; patients with right vs left cerebral lesions; implications for speech rehabilitation

Keyword(s): Speech rhythm; cerebral dominance; brain damage; musical ability; speech therapy; aphasia ; adulthood

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