Intertrial auditory neural stability supports beat synchronization in preschoolers

• The ability to synchronize to a beat is linked to language and literacy skills.
• We examine links between preschool synchronization and auditory neural encoding.
• We reveal a systematic relationship between synchronization and speech encoding.
• Synchronization provides an index of auditory neural precision in early childhood.

The ability to synchronize motor movements along with an auditory beat places stringent demands on the temporal processing and sensorimotor integration capabilities of the nervous system. Links between millisecond-level precision of auditory processing and the consistency of sensorimotor beat synchronization implicate fine auditory neural timing as a mechanism for forming stable internal representations of, and behavioral reactions to, sound. Here, for the first time, we demonstrate a systematic relationship between consistency of beat synchronization and trial-by-trial stability of subcortical speech processing in preschoolers (ages 3 and 4 years old). We conclude that beat synchronization might provide a useful window into millisecond-level neural precision for encoding sound in early childhood, when speech processing is especially important for language acquisition and development.