The genetics of congenital amusia (tone deafness): a family-aggregation study.

Congenital Amusia 1 Congenital Amusia: Myths and Realities of Tone Deafness

Musical difficulties are rare: a study of "tone deafness" among university students.

This study was concerned with self-reported "tone deafness" and its possible relationship to congenital amusia. Nearly 17% of over 2,000 first-year psychology students at Queen's University self-reported tone deafness. Two hundred students were recruited from this pool of students, comprising 100 who reported tone deafness and 100 who reported that they were not tone-deaf (NTD). The study conta...

Congenital amusia: a group study of adults afflicted with a music-specific disorder.

The condition of congenital amusia, commonly known as tone-deafness, has been described for more than a century, but has received little empirical attention. In the present study, a research effort has been made to document in detail the behavioural manifestations of congenital amusia. A group of 11 adults, fitting stringent criteria of musical disabilities, were examined in a series of tests o...

The Biological Foundations of Music: Insights from Congenital Amusia

The past decade of research has provided compelling evidence that the ability toengage with music is a fundamental human trait, and its biological basis is increas-ingly scrutinized. In this endeavor, the detailed study of individuals who havesevere musical problems are particularly informative because these deficiencieshave neurogenetic underpinnings. Such a musical disorde...

Musical Disorders: From Behavior to Genes

Research over the last decade has provided compelling evidence that the ability to engage with music is a fundamental human trait, yet the biological basis of music remains largely unknown. Recent findings indicate that a small number of individuals have severe musical problems that have neurogenetic underpinnings. Such deficiencies are termed congenital amusia, an umbrella term for lifelong mu...