Artists playing music while undergoing brain surgery: A look into the scientific evidence and the social media perspective

IDEAL monitoring of musical skills during awake craniotomy: From step 1 to step 2

The aim of awake brain surgery is to perform a maximum resection on the one hand, and to preserve cognitive functions, quality of life and personal autonomy on the other hand. Historically, language and sensorimotor functions were most frequently monitored. Over the years other cognitive functions, including music, have entered the operation theatre. Cases about monitoring musical abilities during awake brain surgery are emerging, and a systematic method how to monitor music would be the next step. According to the IDEAL framework for surgical innovations our study aims to present future recommendation based on a systematic literature search (PRISMA) in combination with lessons learned from three case reports from our own clinical practice with professional musicians (n = 3). We plead for structured procedures including individual tailored tasks. By embracing these recommendations, we can both improve clinical care and unravel music functions in the brain.

Intraoperative cortical localization of music and language reveals signatures of structural complexity in posterior temporal cortex

Language and music involve the productive combination of basic units into structures. It remains unclear whether brain regions sensitive to linguistic and musical structure are co-localized. We report an intraoperative awake craniotomy in which a left-hemispheric language-dominant professional musician underwent cortical stimulation mapping (CSM) and electrocorticography of music and language perception and production during repetition tasks. Musical sequences were melodic or amelodic, and differed in algorithmic compressibility (Lempel-Ziv complexity). Auditory recordings of sentences differed in syntactic complexity (single vs. multiple phrasal embeddings). CSM of posterior superior temporal gyrus (pSTG) disrupted music perception and production, along with speech production. pSTG and posterior middle temporal gyrus (pMTG) activated for language and music (broadband gamma; 70-150 Hz). pMTG activity was modulated by musical complexity, while pSTG activity was modulated by syntactic complexity. This points to shared resources for music and language comprehension, but distinct neural signatures for the processing of domain-specific structural features.

Awake Craniotomy and Intraoperative Musical Performance for Brain Tumor Surgery: Case Report and Literature Review

Music experience and creation is a complex phenomenon that involves multiple brain structures. Music mapping during awake brain surgery, in addition to standard speech and motor mapping, remains a controversial topic. Music function can be impaired selectively, despite overlap with other neural networks commonly tested during direct cortical stimulation. We describe the case of a 34-year-old male patient presenting with a glioma located within eloquent cortex, who is also a professional musician and actor. We performed an awake craniotomy (AC) that mapped the standard motor and speech areas, while the patient played guitar intraoperatively and sang. Outcomes were remarkable with preservation of function and noted improvements in his musical abilities in outpatient follow-up. In addition, we performed a review of the literature in which awake craniotomies were performed for the removal of brain tumors in patients with some background in music (e.g., score reading, humming/singing). To date, only 4 patients have played a musical instrument intraoperatively during an AC for brain tumor resection. Using awake cortical mapping techniques and paradigms for preserving speech function during an intraoperative musical performance with singing is feasible and can yield a great result for patients. The use of standard brain mapping over music processing mapping did not yield a negative outcome. More experience is needed to understand and standardize this procedure as the field of brain mapping continues to grow for tumor resections.

[Mapping the musician brain during awake craniotomy]

Direct cortical stimulation during awake craniotomy with speech testing became the «gold standard» in brain mapping and preserving speech zones during neurosurgical procedures. However, there are many other cerebral functions, and their loss can be very critical for certain patients. For example, such a function is production and perception of music for musicians. This review presents the latest data on functional anatomy of musician brain, as well as aspects of neurosurgical treatment with awake craniotomy and music testing under brain mapping.

The feasibility and added value of mapping music during awake craniotomy: A systematic review

The value of mapping musical function during awake craniotomy is unclear. Hence, this systematic review was conducted to examine the feasibility and added value of music mapping in patients undergoing awake craniotomy. An extensive search, on 26 March 2021, in four electronic databases (Medline, Embase, Web of Science and Cochrane CENTRAL register of trials), using synonyms of the words "Awake Craniotomy" and "Music Performance," was conducted. Patients performing music while undergoing awake craniotomy were independently included by two reviewers. This search resulted in 10 studies and 14 patients. Intra-operative mapping of musical function was successful in 13 out of 14 patients. Isolated music disruption, defined as disruption during music tasks with intact language/speech and/or motor functions, was identified in two patients in the right superior temporal gyrus, one patient in the right and one patient in the left middle frontal gyrus and one patient in the left medial temporal gyrus. Pre-operative functional MRI confirmed these localizations in three patients. Assessment of post-operative musical function, only conducted in seven patients by means of standardized (57%) and non-standardized (43%) tools, report no loss of musical function. With these results, we conclude that mapping music is feasible during awake craniotomy. Moreover, we identified certain brain regions relevant for music production and detected no decline during follow-up, suggesting an added value of mapping musicality during awake craniotomy. A systematic approach to map musicality should be implemented, to improve current knowledge on the added value of mapping musicality during awake craniotomy.