How children's brains process music and speech tones across cultures
Official title: Deciphering the neural mechanisms of music processing in the developing brain: A multi-feature and multi-cultural comparison
Funded at St. John's University · NIH-11143711 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how music lessons and tonal languages shape brain responses in children ages 5–10.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | St. John's University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Queens, United States) |
| Project start | September 5, 2022 |
| Project end | July 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $205,000 |
| NIH project number | 5R16GM146697-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11143711 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are children aged 5–10, including those with and without music training and from diverse language backgrounds (including tonal-language speakers).
✕Less likely to help
Adults, children outside the 5–10 age range, and individuals with severe uncorrected hearing loss are unlikely to receive direct benefit from participation.
What this research studies
You or your child would listen to sounds that change in rhythm, loudness, pitch, timbre, and location while researchers record brain signals. The team will use event-related potentials (ERPs) and behavioral tests to compare children aged 5–10 with different music experience and language backgrounds. The work includes both musical sound paradigms and lexical tone (speech) paradigms to see how music and language experience interact. Findings will be compared across cultural groups to map developmental trajectories.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could inform music- or language-based approaches to help children with speech, hearing, or learning difficulties.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies in adults show music training and tonal-language experience change brain responses, but using a multi-feature ERP approach in early childhood and across cultures is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
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St. John's University
Queens, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Yu, Yan Helen — St. John's University
- Study coordinator: Yu, Yan Helen
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.