Auditory Deficits in Congenital Amusia (AMUSIE CONGENITALE)

NCT03094624 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 69HCL16_0662
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 230
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The project studies auditory deficits in congenital amusia at the behavioral and neurophysiological levels. The auditory processes investigated are pitch discrimination, short-term memory, sound-induced emotions. To characterize auditory deficits in the amusic population, neuropsychological assessments are combined with neurophysiological markers (Electro-encephalography: EEG, Magneto-encephalography: MEG, Magnetic Resonance Imaging: MRI).

Conditions

Healthy; Amusia, Congenital

Keywords

Amusia; Audition; Short-term memory; Emotions; EEG; MEG; MRI

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (5)

• Correct answers to the neuropsychological tests

  Percentages of correct responses

  Day 1

• Neuropsychological tests reaction times

  Neuropsychological tests reaction times

  Day 1

• Neurophysiological tests EEG

  Event-Related Potentials (EEG)

  Day 1

• Neurophysiological tests MEG

  Event-Related Fields (MEG)

  Day 1

• Neurophysiological tests MRI

  MRI images

  Day 1

Study Arms (2)

Amusia

EXPERIMENTAL

Since 2006, recruitment of amusia participants has been organized in the Lyon region, and some 20 participants (and their matched controls in terms of age, sex, laterality, musical practice, number of years of study) have already taken part various studies conducted at the CRNL. The recruitment of amusia participants and controls is continued in order to maintain a sufficient number of participants and compensate for the withdrawals within the cohort already constituted (lack of availability, geographical distance, etc.).

Other: Neuropsychological and neurophysiological tests; Other: Experiment 1; Other: Experiment 2; Other: Experiment 3; Other: Experiment 4

Matched controls

SHAM COMPARATOR

Matched controls of age, sex, laterality, musical practice, number of years of studies.

Other: Neuropsychological and neurophysiological tests; Other: Experiment 1; Other: Experiment 2; Other: Experiment 3; Other: Experiment 4

Interventions

Neuropsychological and neurophysiological tests OTHER

Neuropsychological tests consist in listening to sounds in various contexts and providing behavioral responses with response-buttons. Neurophysiological tests consist in the recording of EEG and/or MEG signals or MRI images while realizing the neuropsychological tests, as well as anatomical MRI scanning to characterize the participants' brain anatomy and reconstruct the brain sources of surface EEG/MEG signals.

Amusia; Matched controls

Experiment 1 OTHER

Experiment 1 are interested in perception and musical memory vs. Language and contribute to our understanding of the functional and structural organization of the brain to perceive and memorize music and language.

Amusia; Matched controls

Experiment 2 OTHER

Experiment 2 focuses on perception and musical memory vs. Language and contribute to our understanding of the functional and structural organization of the brain to perceive and memorize music and language. The second experiment will also study short-term memory networks for musical and verbal materials, but the specificity will be the inclusion of a verbal material sung, thus representing the combination of both information. Experiment 2 is divided into two sub-parts. Indeed, the investigators will develop the musical and verbal materials during a first experimental part in experiment (experiment 2a) and then apply them in experimentation MEG (experiment 2b). Experiment 2a will allow us to test new equipment in a short term memory task under conditions that are less restrictive for the participants. Then the investigators will apply the optimal material that emerges for the MEG experiment.

Amusia; Matched controls

Experiment 3 OTHER

Experiment 3 will use Discordant Negativity (MMN; Mismatch Negativity) protocols in coupled EEG-MEG (experiment 3a) and EEG alone (experiment 3b) to investigate memory traces of sensory information. The MMN is used to probe auditory sensory memory (pre-requisite for short- or long-term storage), and has the advantage of being measured without requiring an active task from the participant.

Amusia; Matched controls

Experiment 4 OTHER

Experiment 4 will study the neural correlates of long-term memory for musical and verbal material with fMRI. The testimonies of the amusicians suggest a deficit of the "musical lexicon" which contrasts with that the musical lexicon elaborated of the non-musician listeners.

Amusia; Matched controls

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 70 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Aged from 18 to 70 years' old
• French
• Compatibility IRM / MEG (no metal in the body)
• Motivation to participate effectively in the project
• No neurological or psychiatric history
• No severe hearing loss
• Informed consent to participate in the study
• For Amusic participants: participant diagnosed amusic by the MBEA (Montreal Battery of Evaluation of Amusia)
• For Control participants: matched in age, sex, education, music education, laterality, non-amusic (controlled with the MBEA)

You may not qualify if:

• Age below 18 or above 70
• Non-Francophone volunteers.
• MRI scanning not possible: artificial cardiac pacemaker, insulin pump, metallic prosthesis, intra-cerebral clip, claustrophobia
• MEG acquisition not possible: large heads, neurostimulator, metal in the head or the body.
• Pregnant or breast-feeding women

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Hospices Civils de Lyon: lead

Study Sites (1)

Hospices Civils de Lyon, Hôpital Edouard Herriot

Lyon, 69003, France

Location

Related Publications (1)

• Albouy P, Peretz I, Bermudez P, Zatorre RJ, Tillmann B, Caclin A. Specialized neural dynamics for verbal and tonal memory: fMRI evidence in congenital amusia. Hum Brain Mapp. 2019 Feb 15;40(3):855-867. doi: 10.1002/hbm.24416. Epub 2018 Nov 1.

  PMID: 30381866 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Tune Deafness

Study Officials

• Julien JUNG, MD

  Hospices Civils de Lyon

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 20, 2017
• First Posted: March 29, 2017
• Study Start: January 13, 2013
• Primary Completion: May 23, 2019
• Study Completion: May 23, 2019
• Last Updated: September 10, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-09

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

FR (1)