Congenital Amusia: A Disorder of Case Study Fine-Grained Pitch Discrimination

Music, like language, is a universal and specific trait Isabelle Peretz,1,2,8 Julie Ayotte,1,2 Robert J. Zatorre,3 Jacques Mehler,4,5 Pierre Ahad,6 Virginia B. Penhune,7 and Benoit Jutras2 to humans. Similarly, music appreciation, like language 1 Department of Psychology comprehension, appears to be the product of a dediUniversity of Montreal cated brain organization (Peretz and Morais, 1993). AcC.P. 6128 succursale Centre-ville cordingly, as with language, normal acquisition of musiMontreal, Quebec H3C 3J7 cal competence is expected to recruit and fine tune 2 Research Centre distinct neural networks in the human brain. In the adInstitut Universitaire de Geriatrie de Montreal vent of a slight but congenital neural deviation, selective 4565 Queen Mary deficits of learning may occur. Indeed, some individuals Montreal, Quebec H3W 1W5 suffer from language-specific disorders, and a large re3 Montreal Neurological Institute search effort has been undertaken to understand the McGill University origin and varieties of these disorders. Some research3801 University ers claim that language impairments arise from failures Montreal, Quebec H3A 2B4 specific to language or cognitive processing (StuddertCanada Kennedy and Mody, 1995). Others hold that language 4 International School for Advanced Studies deficiencies result from a more elemental problem that Cognitive Neuroscience makes individuals unable to hear fine acoustic temporal via Beirut 4 changes (Tallal and Piercy, 1973). Nothing comparable 34014 Trieste has been initiated in the musical domain. Italy The possibility that certain persons are born with a 5 L.S.C.P. 54 specific musical deficit has been envisaged for more Boulevard Raspail than a century (Grant-Allen, 1878; Geshwind, 1984). 75006 Paris However, the evidence rests on anecdotal case descripFrance tions. In this paper, we present the study of a female 6 Psychology Department volunteer, Monica, who manifests a music-specific disMcGill University order, sometimes called tone deafness but for which 1205 Dr. Penfield we prefer the term “congenital amusia”. The term better Montreal, Quebec H3A 1B1 reflects the likelihood that there are multiple forms of 7 Psychology Department music developmental disorders, as there are various Concordia University patterns of acquired amusia resulting from brain acci7141 Sherbrooke W. dent (Marin and Perry, 1999). Montreal, Quebec H4B1R6