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Musical rhythm abilities and risk for developmental speech-language problems and disorders: epidemiological and polygenic associations

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  • Srishti Nayak

    (Vanderbilt University Medical Center
    Vanderbilt University Medical Center
    Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics
    Vanderbilt University)

  • Enikő Ladányi

    (Vanderbilt University Medical Center
    University of Potsdam)

  • Else Eising

    (Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics)

  • Yasmina Mekki

    (Vanderbilt University Medical Center)

  • Rachana Nitin

    (Vanderbilt University Medical Center
    Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai)

  • Catherine T. Bush

    (Vanderbilt University Medical Center)

  • Daniel E. Gustavson

    (Boulder)

  • Manuel Anglada-Tort

    (University of London)

  • Hope S. Lancaster

    (Boys Town National Research Hospital)

  • Miriam A. Mosing

    (Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics
    Karolinska Institutet
    Karolinska Institutet)

  • Fredrik Ullén

    (Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics
    Karolinska Institutet)

  • Cyrille L. Magne

    (Middle Tennessee State University)

  • Simon E. Fisher

    (Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics
    Radboud University)

  • Nori Jacoby

    (Cornell University)

  • Reyna L. Gordon

    (Vanderbilt University Medical Center
    Vanderbilt University Medical Center
    Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics
    Vanderbilt University)

Abstract

Impaired musical rhythm abilities and developmental speech-language related disorders are biologically and clinically intertwined. Prior work examining their relationship has primarily used small samples; here, we studied associations at population-scale by conducting the largest systematic epidemiological investigation to date (total N = 39,358). Based on existing theoretical frameworks, we predicted that rhythm impairment would be a significant risk factor for speech-language disorders in the general adult population. Findings were consistent across multiple independent datasets and rhythm subskills (including beat synchronization and rhythm discrimination), and aggregate meta-analyzed data showed that non-linguistic rhythm impairment is a modest but consistent risk factor for developmental speech, language, and reading disorders (OR = 1.33 [1.18 – 1.49]; p

Suggested Citation

  • Srishti Nayak & Enikő Ladányi & Else Eising & Yasmina Mekki & Rachana Nitin & Catherine T. Bush & Daniel E. Gustavson & Manuel Anglada-Tort & Hope S. Lancaster & Miriam A. Mosing & Fredrik Ullén & Cyr, 2025. "Musical rhythm abilities and risk for developmental speech-language problems and disorders: epidemiological and polygenic associations," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-13, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-60867-2
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-60867-2
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