音乐与语言是人类社会的两大主要沟通系统，二者共享听觉、感知运动与认知等层面的多种加工过程，与人类的社会性息息相关。音乐学习可以促进儿童语音感知的发展（Nan et al., 2018)，而先天性失乐症这种发展性音乐学习障碍则会影响成人的语音加工（Nan et al., 2010）。本项目聚焦于儿童先天性失乐症的认知与脑发育轨迹这一领域前沿问题，采用行为实验、事件相关电位以及功能与结构核磁共振成像技术等研究手段，整合纵向追踪与横断对比两种研究方法，探索儿童音乐能力正常发展与发展异常的轨迹及其对语言与社会认知加工以及脑发育的影响，从真正的发展的角度揭示先天性失乐症这一发展性音乐学习障碍的本质，为我们进一步了解音乐学习的脑机制提供关键的实验证据，更为将来在儿童期即开展有效与精准的先天性失乐症干预等实践应用提供必要的理论支持。

Music and language are the two main communication systems in human society. They share similar auditory, sensory-motor and cognitive processes at many levels and are both key to human’s social nature. Musical learning facilitates the development of children’s speech perception (Nan et al., 2018), whereas congenital amusia as a developmental musical learning disorder impairs speech perception in adults (Nan et al., 2010). Using behavioral, event-related brain potential and functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging techniques, integrating longitudinal and cross-sectional approaches, the current project focuses on the new frontier of amusic children’s cognitive and brain developmental trajectories, examining children’s normal and abnormal musical developmental trajectories and their impacts upon children’s language and social cognitive abilities as well as brain development. We will thus be able to understand the nature of congenital amusia from a truly developmental perspective, providing crucial experimental evidence for our understanding of the brain mechanisms underlying musical learning. Moreover, the current project will offer necessary theoretical support for future effective and precise early intervention on congenital amusia in childhood.