Study: Connection between music, reading

Researchers at Stanford University say they have made a connection between a person's musical training and their ability to process words.

The study shows training in music can lead to the brain's ability to quickly differentiate between sounds, similar to an ability to identify sounds in language, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The study was presented Wednesday at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience.

Researchers say the study shows a person's brain can adapt and grow if it's trained to.

They say this could be used in children to stop poor reading habits or problems like dyslexia.

Critics say more research is needed first before getting parents' hopes up.

Copyright 2005 by United Press International