Anomia for musical entities

This article reviews a program of research investigating the neuroanatomical basis for lexical retrieval of words for unique (i.e., melodies) and non-unique (i.e., musical instruments) musical entities. Main contribution: We begin by reporting findings on the retrieval of words for unique musical entities, including musical melodies. We then consider work focusing on retrieval of words for non-unique musical entities, specifically musical instruments. We highlight similarities between the two lines of work, and then report

Previous work has investigated extensively the neuroanatomical correlates of lexical retrieval for words for concrete entities. Musical entities, such as musical instruments, are often included in studies of category-specific naming deficits, but have rarely been the focus of such work. Aims: This article reviews a program of research investigating the neuroanatomical basis for lexical retrieval of words for unique (i.e., melodies) and non-unique (i.e., musical instruments) musical entities. Main contribution: We begin by reporting findings on the retrieval of words for unique musical entities, including musical melodies. We then consider work focusing on retrieval of words for non-unique musical entities, specifically musical instruments. We highlight similarities between the two lines of work, and then report

Retrieval of names for musical melodies appears to rely on similar neuroanatomical correlates as for other proper nouns, namely the LTP. Musical instrument naming seems to rely on a broader network of regions, including the LTP and sensorimotor areas. Overall, melody naming seems to coincide with naming of other proper nouns, while musical instrument naming appears distinct from other categories of non-unique items.