How the brain links hearing and movement to sense rhythms
Official title: Investigating Auditory-Motor Interactions During Rhythm Perception in a Small Animal Model
Funded at Tufts University Medford · NIH-11285460 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Using songbirds, researchers look at how motor parts of the brain help the hearing system predict rhythms to inform better therapies for people with stroke, Parkinson’s disease, or language and reading problems.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Tufts University Medford NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | February 1, 2023 |
| Project end | January 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $384,208 |
| NIH project number | 5R01NS129695-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11285460 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
No human volunteers are being enrolled for this animal research, but findings will be most relevant to people with Parkinson’s disease, stroke-related language problems, or dyslexia who are interested in rhythm-based therapies.
✕Less likely to help
People whose conditions are unrelated to rhythm processing or who have primary structural hearing loss are unlikely to benefit directly from this work.
What this research studies
Many music-based therapies help with walking in Parkinson’s, language recovery after stroke, and reading in dyslexia because the brain can detect and predict regular rhythms. This project uses vocal-learning songbirds as a model because their auditory-motor brain circuits resemble the connections humans use for learned sounds. Scientists will record from and manipulate motor-planning and auditory brain regions (including premotor-like areas and basal ganglia) while birds learn and respond to rhythmic sounds to see how timing predictions are communicated. The goal is to map the circuit-level mechanisms that could guide improved rhythm-based treatments for neurological and language disorders.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help design more effective rhythm-based therapies to improve gait, speech, and reading in people with Parkinson’s, stroke, or dyslexia.
How similar studies have gone: Human imaging and clinical studies show motor brain regions engage during rhythm perception and music therapies can help symptoms, but using songbirds to uncover the detailed circuit mechanisms is a newer, more mechanistic approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Tufts University Medford
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kao, Mimi Hsiao Feng — Tufts University Medford
- Study coordinator: Kao, Mimi Hsiao Feng
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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.