Published also as Thesis (Ph. D.)--Columbia University, 1922. / "Columbia university contributions to philosophy and psychology."

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Studien undersöker hur självupplevt absolut gehör (SAG) påverkar musikundervisningen i skolan. Fyra musikpedagoger med SAG har intervjuats och gett sin syn på fenomenet; hur de anser att deras SAG färgar/påverkar musikundervisningen och deras didaktik samt hur det påverkar deras eget musicerande. Semistrukturerade intervjuer har använts som metod. Resultatdelen visar att SAG är till stor nytta vid transkribering av musik, vid ensembleundervisning och i det personliga musicerandet. Informanterna menar att SAG gör dem mer fria och mindre pappersbundna när de musicerar med andra. SAG kan dock vara en belastning vid körledning/körsång (särskilt då körens tonhöjd stiger eller sjunker) och i situationer då transponerade instrument används. Informanterna anser inte att deras SAG har haft några negativa effekter på deras relativa gehör (RG).

Orientador: Graziela Bortz / Coorientador: Hugo Cogo Moreira / Banca: Adriana Lopes da Cunha Moreira / Banca: Patrícia Maria Vanzella / Resumo: O fenômeno do Ouvido Absoluto (OA) tem sido muito estudado e discutido no último século, havendo uma grande quantidade de artigos dedicados à reflexão sobre as peculiaridades desta habilidade. Ao observarmos as definições utilizadas pelos diversos pesquisadores ao longo de todos esses anos, pode-se identificar que a principal característica do traço cognitivo reside na capacidade dos portadores em reconhecer e identificar tons utilizando-se de rótulos verbais (mais especificamente nome de notas) sem nenhum tipo de referência externa (como por exemplo, um diapasão). No entanto, as definições encontradas na bibliografia sobre o tematambém incluem diversos critérios mais específicos, não consensuais, elencados por diferentes pesquisadores na busca por uma compreensão mais acurada desta habilidade cognitiva. Nesse contexto, é importante apontar alguns questionamentos: quais são os critérios pertinentes para uma definição precisa doOA? Considerando um dado conjunto de critérios, eles são realmente capazes de explicar satisfatoriamente e adequadamente a estrutura subjacente desta habilidade cognitiva? Assim, o objetivo geral do trabalho é realizar uma grande revisão crítica da literatura sobre o OA, que se iniciará pelo levantamento da estrutura teórica de definição do fenômeno apresentada nos primeiros artigos sobre o tema. Em seguida, serão apresentadas discussões sobre as perspectivas mais recentes sobre a habilidade do OA, incluindo considerações sobre as suas diferentes variáveis. Por fim, serão também abordadas algumas discussões sobre as inter-relações entre o OA e a habilidade cognitiva conhecida como Ouvido Relativo (OR), uma habilidade muito importante no âmbito musical / Abstract: The cognitive phenomenon known as Absolute Pitch (AP) has been much studied and discussed over the last century, with a vast quantity of papers dedicated to the reflection on the peculiarities of this ability. Aswe observe varied the definitions used by many researchers, it is possible to identify that the main characteristic of the phenomenon is the capacity to recognize and identify tones using verbal labels (more specifically note names) without any kind of external reference (as apitch fork). However, the definitions also include many specific criteria, non-consensual, pointed by different researchers in their search for a more accurate comprehension of this cognitive phenomenon. In this context, it is important to point out somequestions: what are the pertinent criteria for a precise definition of the AP ability? Considering a specific group of criteria, are they really capable of satisfactorily and adequately explaining the subjacent structure of this cognitive phenomenon? Considering these questions, the main objective of this dissertation is to present a critical review of the literature on AP, which willbegin with the survey of the theoretical structure of definition of the phenomenon presentedon the first papers on this subject. These will be followed by discussions on the more recent perspectives on the AP phenomenon, including considerations on its different variables. In the end, some discussions will be presented regarding the relations between AP and the cognitive ability known as Relative Pitch (RP), a very important ability in the musical field / Mestre

O ouvido absoluto é descrito como a habilidade de nomear ou produzir notas musicais sem uma referência externa. Estudos recentes sugerem o processamento mais rápido de informação linguística em pessoas que possuem a habilidade. Sabe-se que conteúdo rítmico é um elemento essencial para o processamento linguístico. No entanto, não se sabe se pessoas com ouvido absoluto processam informação rítmica de maneira distinta. O objetivo deste trabalho foi verificar as possíveis diferenças entre portadores e não portadores de ouvido absoluto no processamento de padrões rítmicos em estímulos sonoros. Dezesseis participantes, sendo 8 com ouvido absoluto e 8 sem a habilidade foram submetidos a uma tarefa psicofísica, na qual deveriam reproduzir sequências rítmicas, com acurácia. Como critério de comparação, consideraram-se o número de intervalos produzidos e a evolução da acurácia temporal ao longo da tarefa. Não se observaram diferenças significativas entre os grupos. Os resultados sugerem que, no processamento de informação rítmica não há participação significativa de processos nervosos especificamente presentes apenas em pessoas com ouvido absoluto / Absolute pitch is described as the ability to name or produce musical notes without an external reference. Recent studies suggest faster processing of linguistic information in people with this skill. It is known that rhythmic content is an essential element for linguistic processing. However, it is not known whether people with absolute pitch process rhythmic information differently. The objective of this work was to verify whether differences exist between absolute pitch and non-absolute pitch possessors in processing rhythmic patterns in sound stimuli. Sixteen participants, 8 with absolute pitch and 8 without the ability, underwent a psychophysical task, in which they were asked to reproduce as accurately as possible rhythmic sequences presented to them. As a criterion of performance, we considered the number of intervals produced and the evolution of temporal accuracy as the task was carried out. No significant difference was found between the two groups. The results suggest that in the processing of rhythmic information there is no significant participation of nervous circuitry specifically present only in absolute pitch possessors

Made available in DSpace on 2015-10-06T13:03:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2015-06-30. Added 1 bitstream(s) on 2015-10-06T13:18:59Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 000849595.pdf: 4183296 bytes, checksum: 842c240441bfa7b49279fbd6e4bf96d7 (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / O fenômeno do Ouvido Absoluto (OA) tem sido muito estudado e discutido no último século, havendo uma grande quantidade de artigos dedicados à reflexão sobre as peculiaridades desta habilidade. Ao observarmos as definições utilizadas pelos diversos pesquisadores ao longo de todos esses anos, pode-se identificar que a principal característica do traço cognitivo reside na capacidade dos portadores em reconhecer e identificar tons utilizando-se de rótulos verbais (mais especificamente nome de notas) sem nenhum tipo de referência externa (como por exemplo, um diapasão). No entanto, as definições encontradas na bibliografia sobre o tematambém incluem diversos critérios mais específicos, não consensuais, elencados por diferentes pesquisadores na busca por uma compreensão mais acurada desta habilidade cognitiva. Nesse contexto, é importante apontar alguns questionamentos: quais são os critérios pertinentes para uma definição precisa doOA? Considerando um dado conjunto de critérios, eles são realmente capazes de explicar satisfatoriamente e adequadamente a estrutura subjacente desta habilidade cognitiva? Assim, o objetivo geral do trabalho é realizar uma grande revisão crítica da literatura sobre o OA, que se iniciará pelo levantamento da estrutura teórica de definição do fenômeno apresentada nos primeiros artigos sobre o tema. Em seguida, serão apresentadas discussões sobre as perspectivas mais recentes sobre a habilidade do OA, incluindo considerações sobre as suas diferentes variáveis. Por fim, serão também abordadas algumas discussões sobre as inter-relações entre o OA e a habilidade cognitiva conhecida como Ouvido Relativo (OR), uma habilidade muito importante no âmbito musical / The cognitive phenomenon known as Absolute Pitch (AP) has been much studied and discussed over the last century, with a vast quantity of papers dedicated to the reflection on the peculiarities of this ability. Aswe observe varied the definitions used by many researchers, it is possible to identify that the main characteristic of the phenomenon is the capacity to recognize and identify tones using verbal labels (more specifically note names) without any kind of external reference (as apitch fork). However, the definitions also include many specific criteria, non-consensual, pointed by different researchers in their search for a more accurate comprehension of this cognitive phenomenon. In this context, it is important to point out somequestions: what are the pertinent criteria for a precise definition of the AP ability? Considering a specific group of criteria, are they really capable of satisfactorily and adequately explaining the subjacent structure of this cognitive phenomenon? Considering these questions, the main objective of this dissertation is to present a critical review of the literature on AP, which willbegin with the survey of the theoretical structure of definition of the phenomenon presentedon the first papers on this subject. These will be followed by discussions on the more recent perspectives on the AP phenomenon, including considerations on its different variables. In the end, some discussions will be presented regarding the relations between AP and the cognitive ability known as Relative Pitch (RP), a very important ability in the musical field

O ouvido absoluto é descrito como a habilidade de nomear ou produzir notas musicais sem uma referência externa. Estudos recentes sugerem o processamento mais rápido de informação linguística em pessoas que possuem a habilidade. Sabe-se que conteúdo rítmico é um elemento essencial para o processamento linguístico. No entanto, não se sabe se pessoas com ouvido absoluto processam informação rítmica de maneira distinta. O objetivo deste trabalho foi verificar as possíveis diferenças entre portadores e não portadores de ouvido absoluto no processamento de padrões rítmicos em estímulos sonoros. Dezesseis participantes, sendo 8 com ouvido absoluto e 8 sem a habilidade foram submetidos a uma tarefa psicofísica, na qual deveriam reproduzir sequências rítmicas, com acurácia. Como critério de comparação, consideraram-se o número de intervalos produzidos e a evolução da acurácia temporal ao longo da tarefa. Não se observaram diferenças significativas entre os grupos. Os resultados sugerem que, no processamento de informação rítmica não há participação significativa de processos nervosos especificamente presentes apenas em pessoas com ouvido absoluto / Absolute pitch is described as the ability to name or produce musical notes without an external reference. Recent studies suggest faster processing of linguistic information in people with this skill. It is known that rhythmic content is an essential element for linguistic processing. However, it is not known whether people with absolute pitch process rhythmic information differently. The objective of this work was to verify whether differences exist between absolute pitch and non-absolute pitch possessors in processing rhythmic patterns in sound stimuli. Sixteen participants, 8 with absolute pitch and 8 without the ability, underwent a psychophysical task, in which they were asked to reproduce as accurately as possible rhythmic sequences presented to them. As a criterion of performance, we considered the number of intervals produced and the evolution of temporal accuracy as the task was carried out. No significant difference was found between the two groups. The results suggest that in the processing of rhythmic information there is no significant participation of nervous circuitry specifically present only in absolute pitch possessors

This thesis examines the nature of long-term absolute pitch memory—an ability traditionally assumed to belong only to absolute pitch (AP) possessors—by testing for evidence of this memory for “standard” frequencies in musicians without AP. Standard frequencies, those based on the equally tempered system with A = 440 Hz, are common in the sonic environment of the Western college musical education, and thus could have the opportunity to penetrate listeners’ long-term memories. Through four experimental tasks, this thesis examines musicians’ ability to recognize and produce frequencies from the set of equally tempered frequencies based on A = 440 Hz, without regard to those musicians’ pitch-labeling abilities. The experimental tasks also compare freshmen with seniors to test if exposure to standard frequencies during a college musical education engrains standard frequencies in long-term memory. The results suggest that musicians without AP cannot distinguish between standard and nonstandard frequencies during listening tasks, but they may be able to recall them without prompting when singing familiar folk songs. However, musical training during the college years does not seem to improve these abilities. Further experimentation is needed to corroborate the results, including modifications to the current tasks and methodology, as well as a larger subject size.

Introduction This dissertation studied structures and functions of auditory cortex in musicians with a rare auditory perception called absolute pitch (AP) using an in-vivo neuroimaging technique magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The absolute pitch is defined as an ability to recognize pitch chroma, which is musical naming in the twelve-tone equal-temperament (12-TET) system (e.g., “C#”), of any given tonal sound without external references. It has been of interest of many psychologists since the experimental methods have been introduced in psychology over a century. Early behavioral experiments reported many findings that were validated in later studies with computerized measurement of behaviors. Over the recent two decades, in-vivo neuroimaging studies have found alteration in structures and functions of the brains of musicians with AP compared to control musicians without AP. However, quantitative models on the behaviors of neural systems behind the AP have not been suggested yet. Of course, neuronal modeling is a challenging problem in cognitive neuroscience studies in general. In order to generate such models to explain auditory perceptions such as AP, detailed information on structures and functions of neural systems must be obtained. In this context, we examined microarchitecture of the auditory cortex in musicians with AP using ultra- high field MRI that currently enables the highest spatial resolution of in-vivo imaging at the moment. In addition, we examined the functional connectivity between the auditory cortex and the other regions of the whole cortex. In the dissertation, detailed introduction of the pitch chroma perception is given throughout the human auditory systems from peripheral apparatus to non-primary auditory cortex in the Chapter I. In-depth discussion on the in-vivo imaging techniques, image processing, and statistical inferences focusing on the strength and potential pitfalls of the methods and their common practice in the Chapter II. In the Chapter III and IV, I explained MRI studies of the PhD project in details with discussions on the findings. Finally in the Chapter V, I summarized the major findings and discuss possible interpretation based on the framework of ‘dual auditory pathway hypothesis’. Study of Myeloarchitecture In the first study (Chapter III), a novel MRI sequence named magnetization-prepared two rapid gradient echo (MP2RAGE) was used to investigate cortical myelination. Myeloarchitecture of cerebral cortex is the one of the important histological concepts to understand organization of cortical column as well as cytoarchitecture. Neurons in the cortex are not only linked to the other distant neurons through the white matter but also connected vertically and horizontally to adjacent neurons. These short/long-distance axonal connections form myeloarchitecture of the cortex. The MP2RAGE sequence estimates a physical quantity called longitudinal relaxation rates (R1), which is sensitive to myelin concentration of the tissue. When compared to control musicians without AP, we found greater R1 in the anterior part of the right supratemporal plane in the musicians with AP. Given the finding was specific to the middle depth of cortex, the finding is unlikely related to long-distance axonal connections but likely to local connections. The precise location of the group difference was determined as the right planum polare in the template brain as well as in all individual brains. Based on the finding, I speculated that the working principles of the AP processes might be related to the dual auditory pathway hypothesis. In the theory, spatial auditory information is processed along the dorsal pathway (from the primary auditory cortex, to planum temporale, supramarginal gyrus, parietal lobules, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex) whereas non-spatial auditory information is processed along the ventral pathway (from the primary auditory cortex to planum polare, temporal pole, anterior insular, and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex) in analogous to visual system. Because pitch chroma is spatially invariant property of an auditory object, and also it is less useful for auditory scene segregation compared to separation based on general pitch range (i.e., pitch height), I suggested the observation of cortical myelin in the anterior non-primary auditory cortex might be related to the absolute recognition of pitch chroma in AP listeners. Another potential implication of the heavy myelination is the function of myelination in neural development. In a rat model, it was demonstrated that the myelination of cortex triggers protein interactions that greatly restrict neuroplasticity after the ‘critical period’ of normal development. From genetic studies, it has been found that the onset of musical training is crucial in the acquisition of AP. Since the planum polare is related to pitch chroma processing, the increase of myelination in this region might indicate the preservation of the pitch chroma representation. Study of Intrinsic Functional Connectivity In the second study (Chapter IV), to further test the hypothesis that this highly myelinated planum polare works differently in the auditory networks, analysis of intrinsic functional connectivity using functional MRI (fMRI) measurement acquired during resting was performed. Although spontaneous neural activities during resting was once regarded as Gaussian noise without particular information, extensive researches revealed that the resting-state data (fMRI and also M/EEG) bears substantial information on the subnetworks of brain that subserve various perceptual and cognitive functions. Particularly for the perception of AP, it has been known that spontaneous and unintended recognition of pitch chroma from ambient sounds such as the siren of an ambulance. Thus it is reasonable to assume that the AP-specific network would be constantly active even at rest. From the resting-state fMRI data, greater cross-correlations between the right planum polare, which was found to be highly myelinated, and several cortical areas including the right lateral superior temporal gyrus, the anterior insula, and the left inferior frontal cortex were found in musicians with better AP performance. Moreover, greater cross-coherences between the right planum polare and the medial part of superior frontal gyrus, the anterior cingulate cortex, and the left planum polare were found in musicians with greater AP performance. As speculated, the involvement of the ventral auditory pathway in the AP-specific resting state network was strongly suggested from the tightened functional coupling between anterior supratemporal planes and the left inferior frontal cortex. Interestingly, the right planum polare exhibited greater cross-coherence with the important hub regions of the default mode network, i.e., anterior cingulate cortex and medial parts of the superior frontal cortex and the orbitofrontal cortex, implicating a link between the auditory network and default-mode network in AP listeners. This might be related to constant AP processes in AP listeners, which results in spontaneous and unintentional recognition of AP. Conclusion In the dissertation, novel MRI data from musicians with AP were provided adding knowledge of the myeloarchitectonic characteristics and related intrinsic functional connectivity of the auditory cortex to the current understanding on the neural correlates of AP. The findings were in favor of the proposed involvement of the ventral auditory pathway, which is known for processing spatially invariant properties of auditory objects. Further studies on neural behaviors of the auditory cortex in relation to the myeloarchitecture are needed in developing computational models of AP in the future. / Einleitung Diese Dissertation untersucht Strukturen und Funktionen des auditorischen Kortex in Musikern mit einer seltenen auditorischen Wahrnehmen, dem absoluten Gehör (aG), mit Hilfe des in-vivo Bildgebungsfahrens der Magnetresonanztomographie (MRT). Das absolute Gehör bezeichnet die Fähigkeit die Tonklasse (z.B. „C#“) innerhalb des 12-tönigen Systems gleichmäßiger Stimmung (12-TET) ohne externe Referenz benennen zu können. Das Phänomen des absoluten Gehöres ist Gegenstand psychologischer Untersuchungen seitdem die experimentellen Methoden vor über einem Jahrhundert vorgestellt wurden. Erste behaviorale Experimente berichteten zahlreiche Ergebnisse, die später in computer-gestützten Messverfahren validiert werden konnten. In den letzten 20 Jahren konnten Studien, unter Nutzung bildgebender Verfahren, Veränderungen in der Struktur und Funktion in den Gehirnen von Musikern mit absolutem Gehör feststellen. Bisher wurden jedoch noch keine quantitativen Modelle vorgestellt, die das Verhalten neuronaler Systeme beschreiben, die dem absoluten Gehört zugrunde liegen. Die Modellierung neuronaler Systeme stellt ein anspruchsvolles Problem der gesamten kognitiven Neurowissenschaften dar. Detaillierte Informationen bezüglich der Struktur und Funktion des neuronalen Systems müssen gesammelt, um mit Hilfe von Modelle auditorische Empfindungen wie das absolute Gehör erklären zu können. In diesem Zusammenhang haben wir die Mikroarchitektur des auditorischen Kortex von Musiker mit absolutem Gehör mit Hilfe eines ultrahohem Feld-MRTs untersucht; eine Methode mit der derzeit höchsten räumlichen Auflösung aller in-vivo Bildgebungsverfahren. Außerdem wurde die funktionelle Konnektivität zwischen dem auditorischen Kortex und anderen Regionen des gesamten Kortex untersucht. In Kapitel I der Dissertation wird detailliertes Grundwissen zur Empfindung von Tonklassen, vom menschlichen auditorischen System bis zum nicht-primären auditorischen Kortex, vermittelt. Eine vertiefte Diskussion der in-vivo Bildgebungsverfahren, der Bildverarbeitung und den statistischen Rückschlüssen ist Thema von Kapitel II, mit einem Fokus auf der üblichen Verwendung, den Stärken und potentiellen Fehlern der verwendeten Methoden. In den Kapiteln III und IV habe ich die MRT-Studien der Doktorarbeit erklärt und die Ergebnisse diskutiert. Kapitel V fasst die wesentlichen Forschungsergebnisse zusammen und diskutiert eine mögliche Interpretation der Ergebnisse auf Grundlage der Dual Auditory Pathway Hypothese. Untersuchung der Myelinarchitektur In der ersten Studie (Kapitel III) wurde eine neuartige MRT Sequenz, die magnetization-prepared two rapid gradient echo (MP2RAGE) Sequenz, genutzt um die kortikale Myelinisierung zu untersuchen. Die Myelinarchitektur des zerebralen Kortex ist eine der wichtigsten histologischen Konzepte, um sowohl die Organisation einer kortikalen Kolumne als auch die Zytoarchitektur zu verstehen. Die Neuronen des Kortex sind nicht nur an entfernte Neuronen über die weiße Substanz gekoppelt, sondern auch durch vertikale und horizontale Verbindungen an unmittelbar benachbarte Neuronen. Diese kurzen und langen axonalen Verbindungen formen die Myelinarchitektur des Kortex. Die MP2RAGE Sequenz bewertet die longitudinalen Relaxations Raten (R1), welche sensitiv für die Myelinkonzentration des untersuchten Gewebes ist. Verglichen mit einer Kontrollgruppe von Musikern ohne aG konnten wir einen höheren R1- Wert im anterioren Teil der rechten supra-temporalen Ebene in Musikern mit aG feststellen. Da das Ergebnis spezifisch für eine mittlere Tiefe des Kortex war ist es wahrscheinlicher, dies auf lokale Verbindungen als auf lange axonale Verbindungen zurückzuführen. Als genauer Ort der Gruppendifferenz wurde das rechte planum polare sowohl in einem idealisierten Gehirn als auch in den individuellen Gehirnen der Probanden festgestellt. Aufgrund dieses Ergebnisses habe ich die Hypothese aufgestellt, dass die Wirkungsweise des absoluten Gehörs mit der Dual Auditory Pathway-Theorie zusammenhängt. Diese Theorie besagt, dass räumliche auditorische Information entlang einer dorsalen Bahn (vom primären auditorischen Kortex zum planum temporale, supramarginalen Gyrus, Parietallappen und dorsolateralen präfrontalen Kortex) und nicht-räumliche Informationen entlang einer ventralen Bahn (vom primären auditorischen Kortex zum planum polare, Temporalpol, anterior insular und ventrolateralen präfrontalen Kortex), ähnlich dem visuellen System, verarbeitet werden. Da die Tonklasse eine räumlich invariante Eigenschaft eines auditorischen Objektes ist und es zudem für die auditorische Szenenunterscheidung weniger bedeutsam ist als die generelle Tonhöhe, habe ich die Vermutung angestellt, dass das kortikale Myelin im anterioren nicht-primären auditorischen Kortex mit dem absoluten Gehört für die Tonklasse im Zusammenhang steht. Eine weitere Implikation der starken Myelinisierung betrifft die Funktion von Myelin in der neuronalen Entwicklung. Im Tiermodell einer Ratte konnte gezeigt werden, dass die Myelinisierung des Kortex Proteininteraktionen auslöst, die die Neuroplastizität nach einer ‚kritischen Periode‘ der normalen Entwicklung erheblich einschränkt. Genetische Studien haben gezeigt, dass der Beginn der musikalischen Ausbildung für die Entwicklung des absoluten Gehöres entscheidend ist. Da das planum polare mit der Verarbeitung von Tonklassen in Verbindung gebracht wird, könnte ein Anstieg der Myelinisierung in diesem Bereich einen Erhalt der Tonklassenrepräsentation bedeuten. Untersuchung der intrinsischen funktionellen Konnektivität In der zweiten Studie (Kapitel IV) wurde die Hypothese, dass das stark myelinisierte planum polare in den auditorischen Netzwerken verschieden wirkt, mittels funktioneller MRT (fMRT) im entspannten Wachzustand weiter untersucht. Spontane Hirnaktivität wurde lange Zeit als Gaußsches Rauschen ohne spezielle Informationen angesehen. Umfangreiche Studien konnten jedoch zeigen, dass Messungen des Ruhezustandes, sowohl fMRT als auch M/EEG, Information bezüglich der Sub-Netzwerke tragen, die Hirnfunktionen der Wahrnehmung und Kognition unterstützen. Besonders in Bezug auf die Wahrnehmung mit absolutem Gehör konnte festgestellt werden, dass Umgebungstöne wie die Sirene eines Krankenwagens unbewusst hinsichtlich der Tonklasse erkannt werden. Diese Erkenntnis stützt die Annahme, dass das aG-Netzwerk auch im Ruhezustand aktiv ist. Mit Hilfe der fMRT-Daten wurde festgestellt, dass die Kreuzkorrelation zwischen dem stark myelinisierten rechten planum polare und weiteren kortikalen Arealen wie dem rechten lateral- superioren temporalen Gyrus, der anterioren insula und dem linken inferior-frontalen Kortex in Musikern mit besserer aG-Performanz erhöht ist. Weiterhin wurde eine erhöhte Kreuzkorrelation zwischen dem rechten planum polare und dem medialen Teil des superior-frontalen Gyrus, dem anterioren cingulate Kortex und dem linken planum polare in Musikern mit noch besser aG- Performanz festgestellt. Die erhöhte funktionelle Kopplung der anterioren supra-temporalen Ebene mit dem linken inferior-frontalen Kortex bekräftigt die Hypothese, dass der ventrale auditorische Pfad in dem aG- spezifischen Netzwerk des Ruhezustands beteiligt ist. Bemerkenswerterweise zeigte das rechte planum polare eine erhöhte Kreuzkorrelation mit wichtigen Hub-regionen des Default-Mode Netzwerkes, also dem anterioren cingulate Kortex und medialen Teilen des superior-frontalen Kortex, sowie dem orbito-frontalen Kortex. Dies bedeutet eine Verknüpfung des auditorischen Netzwerkes und des Default-Mode Netzwerkes in Menschen mit absolutem Gehör und könnte mit aG-Prozessen zusammenhängen, die die spontane und unbewusste Erkennung des absoluten Gehörs erlauben. Schlussfolgerung In dieser Dissertation wurden MRT-Daten von Musikern mit absolutem Gehör untersucht und damit zur Erweiterung des Wissensstandes bezüglich der Myelinarchitektur und der damit zusammenhängenden funktionellen Konnektivität des auditorischen Kortex beigetragen. Die Ergebnisse sprechen zugunsten der Einbindung des ventralen auditorischen Pfades, bekannt für die Verarbeitung räumlich-invarianter Eigenschaften auditorischer Objekte. Weitere Untersuchungen bezüglich des neuronalen Verhaltens des auditorischen Kortex in Verbindung mit der Myelinarchitektur sind notwendig, um quantitative Modelle des absoluten Gehörs entwickeln zu können.