Max-Planck-Institut für empirische Ästhetik
Reyna L. Gordon: A Genomic Journey to Individual Differences in Rhythm
A Genomic Journey to Individual Differences in Rhythm: Understanding Genetic and Neural Architecture and Implications for Human Language Development
Hybrid Lecture by Reyna Gordon, PhD, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Abstract
Recent methodological advances and creative uses of large-scale population data have enabled our understanding of the ways in which common genetic variation contributes to individual differences in musicality traits. I will present recent results demonstrating the genetic architecture of musical beat synchronization and how variation in these genes may connect to the neural substrates of human rhythm. I will also discuss new research at the intersection of music cognition, language science, communication disorders, and population genetics that points to shared biology of language and musicality traits, using a unique array of methods from many different disciplines.
Biography
Dr. Gordon is an Associate Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery and Co-Director of the Music Cognition Lab at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where she also has faculty appointments at the Vanderbilt Genetics Institute and the Vanderbilt Brain Institute. Dr. Gordon has a background in Vocal Arts, Neuroscience and Developmental Disabilities. Dr. Gordon’s interdisciplinary research program is focused on the relationship between musicality and language and health traits from behavioral, cognitive, neural, and genetic perspectives; she is particularly interested in how biomarkers of rhythm processing predict individual differences in language traits and risk for developing speech/language disorders. Her research is supported by the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.
The lecture will be streamed via Webex. If you would like to join the event online, please register under this link.
Staff members of the Institute can also register for participation on-site via e-mail to Giulia Addari.