1
|
Di Stefano N, Spence C. Should absolute pitch be considered as a unique kind of absolute sensory judgment in humans? A systematic and theoretical review of the literature. Cognition 2024; 249:105805. [PMID: 38761646 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2024.105805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2023] [Revised: 04/12/2024] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/20/2024]
Abstract
Absolute pitch is the name given to the rare ability to identify a musical note in an automatic and effortless manner without the need for a reference tone. Those individuals with absolute pitch can, for example, name the note they hear, identify all of the tones of a given chord, and/or name the pitches of everyday sounds, such as car horns or sirens. Hence, absolute pitch can be seen as providing a rare example of absolute sensory judgment in audition. Surprisingly, however, the intriguing question of whether such an ability presents unique features in the domain of sensory perception, or whether instead similar perceptual skills also exist in other sensory domains, has not been explicitly addressed previously. In this paper, this question is addressed by systematically reviewing research on absolute pitch using the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) method. Thereafter, we compare absolute pitch with two rare types of sensory experience, namely synaesthesia and eidetic memory, to understand if and how these phenomena exhibit similar features to absolute pitch. Furthermore, a common absolute perceptual ability that has been often compared to absolute pitch, namely colour perception, is also discussed. Arguments are provided supporting the notion that none of the examined abilities can be considered like absolute pitch. Therefore, we conclude by suggesting that absolute pitch does indeed appear to constitute a unique kind of absolute sensory judgment in humans, and we discuss some open issues and novel directions for future research in absolute pitch.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nicola Di Stefano
- Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Via Gian Domenico Romagnosi, 18, 00196 Rome, Italy.
| | - Charles Spence
- Crossmodal Research Laboratory, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Matthews TE, Lumaca M, Witek MAG, Penhune VB, Vuust P. Music reward sensitivity is associated with greater information transfer capacity within dorsal and motor white matter networks in musicians. Brain Struct Funct 2024:10.1007/s00429-024-02836-x. [PMID: 39052097 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-024-02836-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2024] [Accepted: 07/12/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024]
Abstract
There are pronounced differences in the degree to which individuals experience music-induced pleasure which are linked to variations in structural connectivity between auditory and reward areas. However, previous studies exploring the link between white matter structure and music reward sensitivity (MRS) have relied on standard diffusion tensor imaging methods, which present challenges in terms of anatomical accuracy and interpretability. Further, the link between MRS and connectivity in regions outside of auditory-reward networks, as well as the role of musical training, have yet to be investigated. Therefore, we investigated the relation between MRS and structural connectivity in a large number of directly segmented and anatomically verified white matter tracts in musicians (n = 24) and non-musicians (n = 23) using state-of-the-art tract reconstruction and fixel-based analysis. Using a manual tract-of-interest approach, we additionally tested MRS-white matter associations in auditory-reward networks seen in previous studies. Within the musician group, there was a significant positive relation between MRS and fiber density and cross section in the right middle longitudinal fascicle connecting auditory and inferior parietal cortices. There were also positive relations between MRS and fiber-bundle cross-section in tracts connecting the left thalamus to the ventral precentral gyrus and connecting the right thalamus to the right supplementary motor area, however, these did not survive FDR correction. These results suggest that, within musicians, dorsal auditory and motor networks are crucial to MRS, possibly via their roles in top-down predictive processing and auditory-motor transformations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tomas E Matthews
- Center for Music in the Brain, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, Nørrebrogade 44, Building 1A, Aarhus C, 8000, Denmark.
| | - Massimo Lumaca
- Center for Music in the Brain, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, Nørrebrogade 44, Building 1A, Aarhus C, 8000, Denmark
| | - Maria A G Witek
- Department of Music School of Languages, Art History and Music, University of Birmingham, Cultures, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - Virginia B Penhune
- Department of Psychology, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke St W, Montreal, QC, H4B 1R6, Canada
| | - Peter Vuust
- Center for Music in the Brain, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, Nørrebrogade 44, Building 1A, Aarhus C, 8000, Denmark
- Royal Academy of Music, Skovgaardsgade 2C, Aarhus C, DK-8000, Denmark
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Zuk J, Vanderauwera J, Turesky T, Yu X, Gaab N. Neurobiological predispositions for musicality: White matter in infancy predicts school-age music aptitude. Dev Sci 2023; 26:e13365. [PMID: 36571291 PMCID: PMC10291011 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2022] [Revised: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Musical training has long been viewed as a model for experience-dependent brain plasticity. Reports of musical training-induced brain plasticity are largely based on cross-sectional studies comparing musicians to non-musicians, which cannot address whether musical training itself is sufficient to induce these neurobiological changes or whether pre-existing neuroarchitecture before training predisposes children to succeed in music. Here, in a longitudinal investigation of children from infancy to school age (n = 25), we find brain structure in infancy that predicts subsequent music aptitude skills at school-age. Building on prior evidence implicating white matter organization of the corticospinal tract as a neural predisposition for musical training in adults, here we find that structural organization of the right corticospinal tract in infancy is associated with school-age tonal and rhythmic musical aptitude skills. Moreover, within the corpus callosum, an inter-hemispheric white matter pathway traditionally linked with musical training, we find that structural organization of this pathway in infancy is associated with subsequent tonal music aptitude. Our findings suggest predispositions prior to the onset of musical training from as early as infancy may serve as a scaffold upon which ongoing musical experience can build. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Structural organization of the right corticospinal tract in infancy is associated with school-age musical aptitude skills. Longitudinal associations between the right corticospinal tract in infancy and school-age rhythmic music aptitude skills remain significant even when controlling for language ability. Findings support the notion of predispositions for success in music, and suggest that musical predispositions likely build upon a neural structural scaffold established in infancy. Findings support the working hypothesis that a dynamic interaction between predisposition and experience established in infancy shape the trajectory of long-term musical development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Ted Turesky
- Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge MA 02139 USA
| | - Xi Yu
- Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Nadine Gaab
- Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge MA 02139 USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Shekari E, Nozari N. A narrative review of the anatomy and function of the white matter tracts in language production and comprehension. Front Hum Neurosci 2023; 17:1139292. [PMID: 37051488 PMCID: PMC10083342 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2023.1139292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Much is known about the role of cortical areas in language processing. The shift towards network approaches in recent years has highlighted the importance of uncovering the role of white matter in connecting these areas. However, despite a large body of research, many of these tracts’ functions are not well-understood. We present a comprehensive review of the empirical evidence on the role of eight major tracts that are hypothesized to be involved in language processing (inferior longitudinal fasciculus, inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, uncinate fasciculus, extreme capsule, middle longitudinal fasciculus, superior longitudinal fasciculus, arcuate fasciculus, and frontal aslant tract). For each tract, we hypothesize its role based on the function of the cortical regions it connects. We then evaluate these hypotheses with data from three sources: studies in neurotypical individuals, neuropsychological data, and intraoperative stimulation studies. Finally, we summarize the conclusions supported by the data and highlight the areas needing further investigation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ehsan Shekari
- Department of Neuroscience, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Nazbanou Nozari
- Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
- Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition (CNBC), Pittsburgh, PA, United States
- *Correspondence: Nazbanou Nozari
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Eierud C, Michael A, Banks D, Andrews E. Resting-state functional connectivity in lifelong musicians. PSYCHORADIOLOGY 2023; 3:kkad003. [PMID: 38666119 PMCID: PMC10917383 DOI: 10.1093/psyrad/kkad003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Revised: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/24/2023] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
Background It has been postulated that musicianship can lead to enhanced brain and cognitive reserve, but the neural mechanisms of this effect have been poorly understood. Lifelong professional musicianship in conjunction with novel brain imaging techniques offers a unique opportunity to examine brain network differences between musicians and matched controls. Objective In this study we aim to investigate how resting-state functional networks (FNs) manifest in lifelong active musicians. We will evaluate the FNs of lifelong musicians and matched healthy controls using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. Methods We derive FNs using the data-driven independent component analysis approach and analyze the functional network connectivity (FNC) between the default mode (DMN), sensory-motor (SMN), visual (VSN), and auditory (AUN) networks. We examine whether the linear regressions between FNC and age are different between the musicians and the control group. Results The age trajectory of average FNC across all six pairs of FNs shows significant differences between musicians and controls. Musicians show an increase in average FNC with age while controls show a decrease (P = 0.013). When we evaluated each pair of FN, we note that in musicians FNC values increased with age in DMN-AUN, DMN-VSN, and SMN-VSN and in controls FNC values decreased with age in DMN-AUN, DMN-SMN, AUN-SMN, and SMN-VSN. Conclusion This result provides early evidence that lifelong musicianship may contribute to enhanced brain and cognitive reserve. Results of this study are preliminary and need to be replicated with a larger number of participants.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cyrus Eierud
- Linguistics Program, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Andrew Michael
- Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - David Banks
- Department of Statistical Science, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Edna Andrews
- Linguistics Program, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
- Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Jacobs NPT, Pouwels PJW, van der Krogt MM, Meyns P, Zhu K, Nelissen L, Schoonmade LJ, Buizer AI, van de Pol LA. Brain structural and functional connectivity and network organization in cerebral palsy: A scoping review. Dev Med Child Neurol 2023. [PMID: 36750309 DOI: 10.1111/dmcn.15516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2022] [Revised: 12/10/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
Abstract
AIM To explore altered structural and functional connectivity and network organization in cerebral palsy (CP), by clinical CP subtype (unilateral spastic, bilateral spastic, dyskinetic, and ataxic CP). METHOD PubMed and Embase databases were systematically searched. Extracted data included clinical characteristics, analyses, outcome measures, and results. RESULTS Sixty-five studies were included, of which 50 investigated structural connectivity, and 20 investigated functional connectivity using functional magnetic resonance imaging (14 studies) or electroencephalography (six studies). Five of the 50 studies of structural connectivity and one of 14 of functional connectivity investigated whole-brain network organization. Most studies included patients with unilateral spastic CP; none included ataxic CP. INTERPRETATION Differences in structural and functional connectivity were observed between investigated clinical CP subtypes and typically developing individuals on a wide variety of measures, including efferent, afferent, interhemispheric, and intrahemispheric connections. Directions for future research include extending knowledge in underrepresented CP subtypes and methodologies, evaluating the prognostic potential of specific connectivity and network measures in neonates, and understanding therapeutic effects on brain connectivity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nina P T Jacobs
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.,Amsterdam Movement Sciences, Rehabilitation & Development, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Petra J W Pouwels
- Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Department of Radiology & Nuclear Medicine, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Marjolein M van der Krogt
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.,Amsterdam Movement Sciences, Rehabilitation & Development, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Pieter Meyns
- REVAL Rehabilitation Research, Faculty of Rehabilitation Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Kangdi Zhu
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Loïs Nelissen
- Department of Pediatric Neurology, Emma Children's Hospital, Amsterdam UMC, location Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Linda J Schoonmade
- Medical Library, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Annemieke I Buizer
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.,Amsterdam Movement Sciences, Rehabilitation & Development, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.,Emma Children's Hospital, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Laura A van de Pol
- Department of Pediatric Neurology, Emma Children's Hospital, Amsterdam UMC, location Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Investigating the Relationship Between Childhood Music Practice and Pitch-Naming Ability in Professional Musicians and a Population-Based Twin Sample. Twin Res Hum Genet 2022; 25:140-148. [PMID: 35969033 DOI: 10.1017/thg.2022.29] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The relationship between pitch-naming ability and childhood onset of music training is well established and thought to reflect both genetic predisposition and music training during a critical period. However, the importance of the amount of practice during this period has not been investigated. In a population sample of twins (N = 1447, 39% male, 367 complete twin pairs) and a sample of 290 professional musicians (51% male), we investigated the role of genes, age of onset of playing music and accumulated childhood practice on pitch-naming ability. A significant correlation between pitch-naming scores for monozygotic (r = .27, p < .001) but not dizygotic twin pairs (r = -.04, p = .63) supported the role of genetic factors. In professional musicians, the amount of practice accumulated between ages 6 and 11 predicted pitch-naming accuracy (p = .025). In twins, age of onset was no longer a significant predictor once practice was considered. Combined, these findings are in line with the notion that pitch-naming ability is associated with both genetic factors and amount of early practice, rather than just age of onset per se. This may reflect a dose-response relation between practice and pitch-naming ability in genetically predisposed individuals. Alternatively, children who excel at pitch-naming may have an increased tendency to practice.
Collapse
|
8
|
Groß C, Serrallach BL, Möhler E, Pousson JE, Schneider P, Christiner M, Bernhofs V. Musical Performance in Adolescents with ADHD, ADD and Dyslexia—Behavioral and Neurophysiological Aspects. Brain Sci 2022; 12:brainsci12020127. [PMID: 35203891 PMCID: PMC8870592 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12020127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2021] [Revised: 01/09/2022] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Research has shown that dyslexia and attention deficit (hyperactivity) disorder (AD(H)D) are characterized by specific neuroanatomical and neurofunctional differences in the auditory cortex. These neurofunctional characteristics in children with ADHD, ADD and dyslexia are linked to distinct differences in music perception. Group-specific differences in the musical performance of patients with ADHD, ADD and dyslexia have not been investigated in detail so far. We investigated the musical performance and neurophysiological correlates of 21 adolescents with dyslexia, 19 with ADHD, 28 with ADD and 28 age-matched, unaffected controls using a music performance assessment scale and magnetoencephalography (MEG). Musical experts independently assessed pitch and rhythmic accuracy, intonation, improvisation skills and musical expression. Compared to dyslexic adolescents, controls as well as adolescents with ADHD and ADD performed better in rhythmic reproduction, rhythmic improvisation and musical expression. Controls were significantly better in rhythmic reproduction than adolescents with ADD and scored higher in rhythmic and pitch improvisation than adolescents with ADHD. Adolescents with ADD and controls scored better in pitch reproduction than dyslexic adolescents. In pitch improvisation, the ADD group performed better than the ADHD group, and controls scored better than dyslexic adolescents. Discriminant analysis revealed that rhythmic improvisation and musical expression discriminate the dyslexic group from controls and adolescents with ADHD and ADD. A second discriminant analysis based on MEG variables showed that absolute P1 latency asynchrony |R-L| distinguishes the control group from the disorder groups best, while P1 and N1 latencies averaged across hemispheres separate the control, ADD and ADHD groups from the dyslexic group. Furthermore, rhythmic improvisation was negatively correlated with auditory-evoked P1 and N1 latencies, pointing in the following direction: the earlier the P1 and N1 latencies (mean), the better the rhythmic improvisation. These findings provide novel insight into the differences between music processing and performance in adolescents with and without neurodevelopmental disorders. A better understanding of these differences may help to develop tailored preventions or therapeutic interventions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christine Groß
- Jazeps Vitols Latvian Academy of Music, K. Barona Street 1, LV-1050 Riga, Latvia; (C.G.); (J.E.P.); (P.S.); (V.B.)
- Department of Neuroradiology and Section of Biomagnetism, University of Heidelberg Medical School, University of Heidelberg, INF 400, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany;
| | - Bettina L. Serrallach
- Department of Neuroradiology and Section of Biomagnetism, University of Heidelberg Medical School, University of Heidelberg, INF 400, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany;
| | - Eva Möhler
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Saarland University Hospital, G-66421 Homburg, Germany;
| | - Jachin E. Pousson
- Jazeps Vitols Latvian Academy of Music, K. Barona Street 1, LV-1050 Riga, Latvia; (C.G.); (J.E.P.); (P.S.); (V.B.)
| | - Peter Schneider
- Jazeps Vitols Latvian Academy of Music, K. Barona Street 1, LV-1050 Riga, Latvia; (C.G.); (J.E.P.); (P.S.); (V.B.)
- Department of Neuroradiology and Section of Biomagnetism, University of Heidelberg Medical School, University of Heidelberg, INF 400, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany;
- Centre for Systematic Musicology, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Graz, Glacisstraße 27, A-8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Markus Christiner
- Jazeps Vitols Latvian Academy of Music, K. Barona Street 1, LV-1050 Riga, Latvia; (C.G.); (J.E.P.); (P.S.); (V.B.)
- Centre for Systematic Musicology, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Graz, Glacisstraße 27, A-8010 Graz, Austria
- Correspondence:
| | - Valdis Bernhofs
- Jazeps Vitols Latvian Academy of Music, K. Barona Street 1, LV-1050 Riga, Latvia; (C.G.); (J.E.P.); (P.S.); (V.B.)
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Bianco V, Berchicci M, Gigante E, Perri RL, Quinzi F, Mussini E, Di Russo F. Brain Plasticity Induced by Musical Expertise on Proactive and Reactive Cognitive Functions. Neuroscience 2021; 483:1-12. [PMID: 34973386 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2021.12.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2021] [Revised: 12/21/2021] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Proactive and reactive brain activities usually refer to processes occurring in anticipation or in response to perceptual and/or cognitive events. Previous studies found that, in auditory tasks, musical expertise improves performance mainly at the reactive stage of processing. In the present work, we aimed at acknowledging the effects of musical practice on proactive brain activities as a result of neuroplasticity processes occurring at the level of anticipatory motor/cognitive functions. Accordingly, performance and electroencephalographic recordings were compared between professional musicians and non-musicians during an auditory go/no-go task. Both proactive (pre-stimulus) and reactive (post-stimulus) event-related potentials (ERPs) were analyzed. Behavioral findings showed improved performance in musicians compared to non-musicians in terms of accuracy. For what concerns electrophysiological results, different ERP patterns of activity both before and after the presentation of the auditory stimulus emerged between groups. Specifically, musicians showed increased proactive cognitive activity in prefrontal scalp areas, previously localized in the prefrontal cortex, and reduced anticipatory excitability in frontal scalp areas, previously localized in the associative auditory cortices (reflected by the pN and aP components, respectively). In the reactive stage of processing (i.e., following stimulus presentation), musicians showed enhanced early (N1) and late (P3) components, in line with longstanding literature of enhanced auditory processing in this group. Crucially, we also found a significant correlation between the N1 component and years of musical practice. We interpreted these findings in terms of neural plasticity processes resulting from musical training, which lead musicians to high efficiency in auditory sensorial anticipation and more intense cognitive control and sound analysis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Bianco
- Dept. of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome "Foro Italico", Rome, Italy; Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Dept. of Languages and Literatures, Communication, Education and Society, University of Udine, Udine, Italy.
| | - Marika Berchicci
- Dept. of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome "Foro Italico", Rome, Italy
| | - Elena Gigante
- International Association for Analytical Psychology, Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | - Federico Quinzi
- Dept. of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome "Foro Italico", Rome, Italy
| | - Elena Mussini
- Dept. of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome "Foro Italico", Rome, Italy
| | - Francesco Di Russo
- Dept. of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome "Foro Italico", Rome, Italy; Santa Lucia Foundation IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Michels L, Stämpfli P, Aldusary N, Piccirelli M, Freund P, Weber KP, Fierz FC, Kollias S, Traber G. Widespread White Matter Alterations in Patients With Visual Snow Syndrome. Front Neurol 2021; 12:723805. [PMID: 34621237 PMCID: PMC8490630 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2021.723805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2021] [Accepted: 08/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Visual snow is considered a disorder of central visual processing resulting in a perturbed perception of constant binocular flickering or pixilation of the whole visual field. The underlying neurophysiological and structural alterations remain elusive. Methods: In this study, we included patients (final n = 14, five dropouts; five females, mean age: 32 years) with visual snow syndrome (VSS) and age- and sex-matched controls (final n = 20, 6 dropouts, 13 females, mean age: 28.2 years). We applied diffusion tensor imaging to examine possible white matter (WM) alterations in patients with VSS. Results: The patient group demonstrated higher (p-corrected < 0.05, adjusted for age and sex) fractional anisotropy (FA) and lower mean diffusivity (MD) and radial diffusivity (RD) compared to controls. These changes were seen in the prefrontal WM (including the inferior fronto-occipital fascicle), temporal and occipital WM, superior and middle longitudinal fascicle, and sagittal stratum. When additionally corrected for migraine or tinnitus-dominant comorbidities in VSS-similar group differences were seen for FA and RD, but less pronounced. Conclusions: Our results indicate that patients with VSS present WM alterations in parts of the visual cortex and outside the visual cortex. As parts of the inferior fronto-occipital fascicle and sagittal stratum are associated with visual processing and visual conceptualisation, our results suggest that the WM alterations in these regions may indicate atypical visual processing in patients with VSS. Yet, the frequent presence of migraine and other comorbidities such as tinnitus in VSS makes it difficult to attribute WM disruptions solely to VSS.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lars Michels
- Department of Neuroradiology, Clinical Neuroscience Center, University Hospital Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Philipp Stämpfli
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Njoud Aldusary
- Department of Neuroradiology, Clinical Neuroscience Center, University Hospital Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Marco Piccirelli
- Department of Neuroradiology, Clinical Neuroscience Center, University Hospital Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | - Konrad P Weber
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Fabienne C Fierz
- Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Spyros Kollias
- Department of Neuroradiology, Clinical Neuroscience Center, University Hospital Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Ghislaine Traber
- Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology Basel (IOB), Basel, Switzerland.,Department of Ophthalmology, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Feng Y, Song J, Yan W, Wang J, Zhao C, Zeng Q. Investigation of Local White Matter Properties in Professional Chess Player: A Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study Based on Automatic Annotation Fiber Clustering. IEEE Trans Cogn Dev Syst 2021. [DOI: 10.1109/tcds.2020.2968116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
|
12
|
Rogenmoser L, Arnicane A, Jäncke L, Elmer S. The left dorsal stream causally mediates the tone labeling in absolute pitch. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2021; 1500:122-133. [PMID: 34046902 PMCID: PMC8518498 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.14616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2021] [Revised: 05/03/2021] [Accepted: 05/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Absolute pitch (AP) refers to the ability to effortlessly identify given pitches without any reference. Correlative evidence suggests that the left posterior dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) is responsible for the process underlying pitch labeling in AP. Here, we measured the sight‐reading performance of right‐handed AP possessors and matched controls under cathodal and sham transcranial direct current stimulation of the left DLPFC. The participants were instructed to report notations as accurately and as fast as possible by playing with their right hand on a piano. The notations were simultaneously presented with distracting auditory stimuli that either matched or mismatched them in different semitone degrees. Unlike the controls, AP possessors revealed an interference effect in that they responded slower in mismatching conditions than in the matching one. Under cathodal stimulation, this interference effect disappeared. These findings confirm that the pitch‐labeling process underlying AP occurs automatically and is largely nonsuppressible when triggered by tone exposure. The improvement of the AP possessors’ sight‐reading performances in response to the suppression of the left DLPFC using cathodal stimulation confirms a causal relationship between this brain structure and pitch labeling.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lars Rogenmoser
- Department of Medicine, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Andra Arnicane
- Auditory Research Group Zurich (ARGZ), Division of Neuropsychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Lutz Jäncke
- Auditory Research Group Zurich (ARGZ), Division of Neuropsychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,University Research Priority Program (URPP), Dynamics of Healthy Aging, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Stefan Elmer
- Auditory Research Group Zurich (ARGZ), Division of Neuropsychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Li X, Zatorre RJ, Du Y. The Microstructural Plasticity of the Arcuate Fasciculus Undergirds Improved Speech in Noise Perception in Musicians. Cereb Cortex 2021; 31:3975-3985. [PMID: 34037726 PMCID: PMC8328222 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Musical training is thought to be related to improved language skills, for example, understanding speech in background noise. Although studies have found that musicians and nonmusicians differed in morphology of bilateral arcuate fasciculus (AF), none has associated such white matter features with speech-in-noise (SIN) perception. Here, we tested both SIN and the diffusivity of bilateral AF segments in musicians and nonmusicians using diffusion tensor imaging. Compared with nonmusicians, musicians had higher fractional anisotropy (FA) in the right direct AF and lower radial diffusivity in the left anterior AF, which correlated with SIN performance. The FA-based laterality index showed stronger right lateralization of the direct AF and stronger left lateralization of the posterior AF in musicians than nonmusicians, with the posterior AF laterality predicting SIN accuracy. Furthermore, hemodynamic activity in right superior temporal gyrus obtained during a SIN task played a full mediation role in explaining the contribution of the right direct AF diffusivity on SIN performance, which therefore links training-related white matter plasticity, brain hemodynamics, and speech perception ability. Our findings provide direct evidence that differential microstructural plasticity of bilateral AF segments may serve as a neural foundation of the cross-domain transfer effect of musical experience to speech perception amid competing noise.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaonan Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Robert J Zatorre
- Montréal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada.,International Laboratory for Brain, Music, and Sound Research (BRAMS), Montréal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada.,Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music (CRBLM), Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Yi Du
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Shanghai 200031, China.,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.,Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing 102206, China
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Perron M, Theaud G, Descoteaux M, Tremblay P. The frontotemporal organization of the arcuate fasciculus and its relationship with speech perception in young and older amateur singers and non-singers. Hum Brain Mapp 2021; 42:3058-3076. [PMID: 33835629 PMCID: PMC8193549 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2020] [Revised: 02/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to perceive speech in noise (SPiN) declines with age. Although the etiology of SPiN decline is not well understood, accumulating evidence suggests a role for the dorsal speech stream. While age‐related decline within the dorsal speech stream would negatively affect SPiN performance, experience‐induced neuroplastic changes within the dorsal speech stream could positively affect SPiN performance. Here, we investigated the relationship between SPiN performance and the structure of the arcuate fasciculus (AF), which forms the white matter scaffolding of the dorsal speech stream, in aging singers and non‐singers. Forty‐three non‐singers and 41 singers aged 20 to 87 years old completed a hearing evaluation and a magnetic resonance imaging session that included High Angular Resolution Diffusion Imaging. The groups were matched for sex, age, education, handedness, cognitive level, and musical instrument experience. A subgroup of participants completed syllable discrimination in the noise task. The AF was divided into 10 segments to explore potential local specializations for SPiN. The results show that, in carefully matched groups of singers and non‐singers (a) myelin and/or axonal membrane deterioration within the bilateral frontotemporal AF segments are associated with SPiN difficulties in aging singers and non‐singers; (b) the structure of the AF is different in singers and non‐singers; (c) these differences are not associated with a benefit on SPiN performance for singers. This study clarifies the etiology of SPiN difficulties by supporting the hypothesis for the role of aging of the dorsal speech stream.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maxime Perron
- CERVO Brain Research Center, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.,Département de Réadaptation, Université Laval, Faculté de Médecine, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
| | - Guillaume Theaud
- Sherbrooke Connectivity Imaging Lab (SCIL), Computer Science Department, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
| | - Maxime Descoteaux
- Sherbrooke Connectivity Imaging Lab (SCIL), Computer Science Department, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
| | - Pascale Tremblay
- CERVO Brain Research Center, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.,Département de Réadaptation, Université Laval, Faculté de Médecine, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Leipold S, Klein C, Jäncke L. Musical Expertise Shapes Functional and Structural Brain Networks Independent of Absolute Pitch Ability. J Neurosci 2021; 41:2496-2511. [PMID: 33495199 PMCID: PMC7984587 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1985-20.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2020] [Revised: 11/11/2020] [Accepted: 11/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Professional musicians are a popular model for investigating experience-dependent plasticity in human large-scale brain networks. A minority of musicians possess absolute pitch, the ability to name a tone without reference. The study of absolute pitch musicians provides insights into how a very specific talent is reflected in brain networks. Previous studies of the effects of musicianship and absolute pitch on large-scale brain networks have yielded highly heterogeneous findings regarding the localization and direction of the effects. This heterogeneity was likely influenced by small samples and vastly different methodological approaches. Here, we conducted a comprehensive multimodal assessment of effects of musicianship and absolute pitch on intrinsic functional and structural connectivity using a variety of commonly used and state-of-the-art multivariate methods in the largest sample to date (n = 153 female and male human participants; 52 absolute pitch musicians, 51 non-absolute pitch musicians, and 50 non-musicians). Our results show robust effects of musicianship in interhemispheric and intrahemispheric connectivity in both structural and functional networks. Crucially, most of the effects were replicable in both musicians with and without absolute pitch compared with non-musicians. However, we did not find evidence for an effect of absolute pitch on intrinsic functional or structural connectivity in our data: The two musician groups showed strikingly similar networks across all analyses. Our results suggest that long-term musical training is associated with robust changes in large-scale brain networks. The effects of absolute pitch on neural networks might be subtle, requiring very large samples or task-based experiments to be detected.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT A question that has fascinated neuroscientists, psychologists, and musicologists for a long time is how musicianship and absolute pitch, the rare talent to name a tone without reference, are reflected in large-scale networks of the human brain. Much is still unknown as previous studies have reported widely inconsistent results based on small samples. Here, we investigate the largest sample of musicians and non-musicians to date (n = 153) using a multitude of established and novel analysis methods. Results provide evidence for robust effects of musicianship on functional and structural networks that were replicable in two separate groups of musicians and independent of absolute pitch ability.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Simon Leipold
- Division of Neuropsychology, Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, 8050 Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305
| | - Carina Klein
- Division of Neuropsychology, Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, 8050 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Lutz Jäncke
- Division of Neuropsychology, Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, 8050 Zurich, Switzerland
- University Research Priority Program, Dynamics of Healthy Aging, University of Zurich, 8050 Zurich, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Music Playing and Interhemispheric Communication: Older Professional Musicians Outperform Age-Matched Non-Musicians in Fingertip Cross-Localization Test. J Int Neuropsychol Soc 2021; 27:282-292. [PMID: 32967757 DOI: 10.1017/s1355617720000946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Numerous investigations have documented that age-related changes in the integrity of the corpus callosum are associated with age-related decline in the interhemispheric transfer of information. Conversely, there is accumulating evidence for more efficient white matter organization of the corpus callosum in individuals with extensive musical training. However, the relationship between making music and accuracy in interhemispheric transfer remains poorly explored. METHODS To test the hypothesis that musicians show enhanced functional connectivity between the two hemispheres, 65 professional musicians (aged 56-90 years) and 65 age- and sex-matched non-musicians performed the fingertip cross-localization test. In this task, subjects must respond to a tactile stimulus presented to one hand using the ipsilateral (intra-hemispheric test) or contralateral (inter-hemispheric test) hand. Because the transfer of information from one hemisphere to another may imply a loss of accuracy, the value of the difference between the intrahemispheric and interhemispheric tests can be utilized as a reliable measure of the effectiveness of hemispheric interactions. RESULTS Older professional musicians show significantly greater accuracy in tactile interhemispheric transfer than non-musicians who suffer from age-related decline. CONCLUSIONS Musicians have more efficient interhemispheric communication than age-matched non-musicians. This finding is in keeping with studies showing that individuals with extensive musical training have a larger corpus callosum. The results are discussed in relation to relevant data suggesting that music positively influences aging brain plasticity.
Collapse
|
17
|
Møller C, Garza-Villarreal EA, Hansen NC, Højlund A, Bærentsen KB, Chakravarty MM, Vuust P. Audiovisual structural connectivity in musicians and non-musicians: a cortical thickness and diffusion tensor imaging study. Sci Rep 2021; 11:4324. [PMID: 33619288 PMCID: PMC7900203 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-83135-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2020] [Accepted: 01/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Our sensory systems provide complementary information about the multimodal objects and events that are the target of perception in everyday life. Professional musicians' specialization in the auditory domain is reflected in the morphology of their brains, which has distinctive characteristics, particularly in areas related to auditory and audio-motor activity. Here, we combined diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) with a behavioral measure of visually induced gain in pitch discrimination, and we used measures of cortical thickness (CT) correlations to assess how auditory specialization and musical expertise are reflected in the structural architecture of white and grey matter relevant to audiovisual processing. Across all participants (n = 45), we found a correlation (p < 0.001) between reliance on visual cues in pitch discrimination and the fractional anisotropy (FA) in the left inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFOF), a structure connecting visual and auditory brain areas. Group analyses also revealed greater cortical thickness correlation between visual and auditory areas in non-musicians (n = 28) compared to musicians (n = 17), possibly reflecting musicians' auditory specialization (FDR < 10%). Our results corroborate and expand current knowledge of functional specialization with a specific focus on audition, and highlight the fact that perception is essentially multimodal while uni-sensory processing is a specialized task.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cecilie Møller
- grid.7048.b0000 0001 1956 2722Center for Music in the Brain, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University & The Royal Academy of Music, Aarhus/Aalborg, Universitetsbyen 3, Building 1710, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Eduardo A. Garza-Villarreal
- grid.7048.b0000 0001 1956 2722Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark ,grid.9486.30000 0001 2159 0001Institute of Neurobiology, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Boulevard Juriquilla 3001, C.P. 76230 Querétaro, Querétaro Mexico
| | - Niels Chr. Hansen
- grid.7048.b0000 0001 1956 2722Center for Music in the Brain, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University & The Royal Academy of Music, Aarhus/Aalborg, Universitetsbyen 3, Building 1710, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark ,grid.7048.b0000 0001 1956 2722Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Andreas Højlund
- grid.7048.b0000 0001 1956 2722Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark ,grid.7048.b0000 0001 1956 2722Interacting Minds Centre, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Klaus B. Bærentsen
- grid.7048.b0000 0001 1956 2722Department of Psychology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - M. Mallar Chakravarty
- grid.412078.80000 0001 2353 5268Cerebral Imaging Center, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, QC Canada ,grid.14709.3b0000 0004 1936 8649Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, QC Canada ,grid.14709.3b0000 0004 1936 8649Department of Biological and Biomedical Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, QC Canada
| | - Peter Vuust
- grid.7048.b0000 0001 1956 2722Center for Music in the Brain, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University & The Royal Academy of Music, Aarhus/Aalborg, Universitetsbyen 3, Building 1710, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Effects of Lifelong Musicianship on White Matter Integrity and Cognitive Brain Reserve. Brain Sci 2021; 11:brainsci11010067. [PMID: 33419228 PMCID: PMC7825624 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11010067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Revised: 12/30/2020] [Accepted: 01/01/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
There is a significant body of research that has identified specific, high-end cognitive demand activities and lifestyles that may play a role in building cognitive brain reserve, including volume changes in gray matter and white matter, increased structural connectivity, and enhanced categorical perception. While normal aging produces trends of decreasing white matter (WM) integrity, research on cognitive brain reserve suggests that complex sensory–motor activities across the life span may slow down or reverse these trends. Previous research has focused on structural and functional changes to the human brain caused by training and experience in both linguistic (especially bilingualism) and musical domains. The current research uses diffusion tensor imaging to examine the integrity of subcortical white matter fiber tracts in lifelong musicians. Our analysis, using Tortoise and ICBM-81, reveals higher fractional anisotropy, an indicator of greater WM integrity, in aging musicians in bilateral superior longitudinal fasciculi and bilateral uncinate fasciculi. Statistical methods used include Fisher’s method and linear regression analysis. Another unique aspect of this study is the accompanying behavioral performance data for each participant. This is one of the first studies to look specifically at musicianship across the life span and its impact on bilateral WM integrity in aging.
Collapse
|
19
|
Aloufi AE, Rowe FJ, Meyer GF. Behavioural performance improvement in visuomotor learning correlates with functional and microstructural brain changes. Neuroimage 2020; 227:117673. [PMID: 33359355 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2020] [Revised: 12/11/2020] [Accepted: 12/14/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
A better understanding of practice-induced functional and structural changes in our brains can help us design more effective learning environments that provide better outcomes. Although there is growing evidence from human neuroimaging that experience-dependent brain plasticity is expressed in measurable brain changes that are correlated with behavioural performance, the relationship between behavioural performance and structural or functional brain changes, and particularly the time course of these changes, is not well characterised. To understand the link between neuroplastic changes and behavioural performance, 15 healthy participants in this study followed a systematic eye movement training programme for 30 min daily at home, 5 days a week and for 6 consecutive weeks. Behavioural performance statistics and eye tracking data were captured throughout the training period to evaluate learning outcomes. Imaging data (DTI and fMRI) were collected at baseline, after two and six weeks of continuous training, and four weeks after training ended. Participants showed significant improvements in behavioural performance (faster task completion time, lower fixation number and fixation duration). Spatially overlapping reductions in microstructural diffusivity measures (MD, AD and RD) and functional activation increases (BOLD signal) were observed in two main areas: extrastriate visual cortex (V3d) and the frontal part of the cerebellum/Fastigial Oculomotor Region (FOR), which are both involved in visual processing. An increase of functional activity was also recorded in the right frontal eye field. Behavioural, structural and functional changes were correlated. Microstructural change is a better predictor for long-term behavioural change than functional activation is, whereas the latter is superior in predicting instantaneous performance. Structural and functional measures at week 2 of the training programme also predict performance at week 6 and 10, which suggests that imaging data at an early stage of training may be useful in optimising practice environments or rehabilitative training programmes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- A E Aloufi
- Department of Psychology, University of Liverpool, Eleanor Rathbone Building, Bedford Street South, Liverpool L69 7ZA, UK
| | - F J Rowe
- Institute of Population Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - G F Meyer
- Department of Psychology, University of Liverpool, Eleanor Rathbone Building, Bedford Street South, Liverpool L69 7ZA, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
James CE, Altenmüller E, Kliegel M, Krüger THC, Van De Ville D, Worschech F, Abdili L, Scholz DS, Jünemann K, Hering A, Grouiller F, Sinke C, Marie D. Train the brain with music (TBM): brain plasticity and cognitive benefits induced by musical training in elderly people in Germany and Switzerland, a study protocol for an RCT comparing musical instrumental practice to sensitization to music. BMC Geriatr 2020; 20:418. [PMID: 33087078 PMCID: PMC7576734 DOI: 10.1186/s12877-020-01761-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2020] [Accepted: 09/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Recent data suggest that musical practice prevents age-related cognitive decline. But experimental evidence remains sparse and no concise information on the neurophysiological bases exists, although cognitive decline represents a major impediment to healthy aging. A challenge in the field of aging is developing training regimens that stimulate neuroplasticity and delay or reverse symptoms of cognitive and cerebral decline. To be successful, these regimens should be easily integrated in daily life and intrinsically motivating. This study combines for the first-time protocolled music practice in elderly with cutting-edge neuroimaging and behavioral approaches, comparing two types of musical education. METHODS We conduct a two-site Hannover-Geneva randomized intervention study in altogether 155 retired healthy elderly (64-78) years, (63 in Geneva, 92 in Hannover), offering either piano instruction (experimental group) or musical listening awareness (control group). Over 12 months all participants receive weekly training for 1 hour, and exercise at home for ~ 30 min daily. Both groups study different music styles. Participants are tested at 4 time points (0, 6, and 12 months & post-training (18 months)) on cognitive and perceptual-motor aptitudes as well as via wide-ranging functional and structural neuroimaging and blood sampling. DISCUSSION We aim to demonstrate positive transfer effects for faculties traditionally described to decline with age, particularly in the piano group: executive functions, working memory, processing speed, abstract thinking and fine motor skills. Benefits in both groups may show for verbal memory, hearing in noise and subjective well-being. In association with these behavioral benefits we anticipate functional and structural brain plasticity in temporal (medial and lateral), prefrontal and parietal areas and the basal ganglia. We intend exhibiting for the first time that musical activities can provoke important societal impacts by diminishing cognitive and perceptual-motor decline supported by functional and structural brain plasticity. TRIAL REGISTRATION The Ethikkomission of the Leibniz Universität Hannover approved the protocol on 14.08.17 (no. 3604-2017), the neuroimaging part and blood sampling was approved by the Hannover Medical School on 07.03.18. The full protocol was approved by the Commission cantonale d'éthique de la recherche de Genève (no. 2016-02224) on 27.02.18 and registered at clinicaltrials.gov on 17.09.18 ( NCT03674931 , no. 81185).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Clara E James
- Geneva School of Health Sciences, Geneva Musical Minds Lab (GEMMI Lab), University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland HES-SO, Avenue de Champel 47, 1206, Geneva, Switzerland. .,Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, Boulevard du Pont-d'Arve 40, 1205, Geneva, Switzerland.
| | - Eckart Altenmüller
- Institute for Music Physiology and Musicians' Medecine, Hannover University of Music, Drama and Media, Neues Haus 1, 30175, Hannover, Germany.,Center for Systems Neuroscience, Bünteweg 2, 30559, Hannover, Germany
| | - Matthias Kliegel
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, Boulevard du Pont-d'Arve 40, 1205, Geneva, Switzerland.,Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Gerontology and Vulnerability, University of Geneva, Switzerland, Boulevard du Pont d'Arve 28, 1205, Genève, Switzerland
| | - Tillmann H C Krüger
- Center for Systems Neuroscience, Bünteweg 2, 30559, Hannover, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Section of Clinical Psychology & Sexual Medicine, Hannover Medical School, Centre of Mental Health, Carl-Neuberg-Str. 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany
| | - Dimitri Van De Ville
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), Route Cantonale, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Faculty of Medecine of the University of Geneva, Switzerland, Campus Biotech, Chemin des Mines 9, 1211, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Florian Worschech
- Institute for Music Physiology and Musicians' Medecine, Hannover University of Music, Drama and Media, Neues Haus 1, 30175, Hannover, Germany.,Center for Systems Neuroscience, Bünteweg 2, 30559, Hannover, Germany
| | - Laura Abdili
- Geneva School of Health Sciences, Geneva Musical Minds Lab (GEMMI Lab), University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland HES-SO, Avenue de Champel 47, 1206, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Daniel S Scholz
- Institute for Music Physiology and Musicians' Medecine, Hannover University of Music, Drama and Media, Neues Haus 1, 30175, Hannover, Germany.,Center for Systems Neuroscience, Bünteweg 2, 30559, Hannover, Germany
| | - Kristin Jünemann
- Center for Systems Neuroscience, Bünteweg 2, 30559, Hannover, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Section of Clinical Psychology & Sexual Medicine, Hannover Medical School, Centre of Mental Health, Carl-Neuberg-Str. 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany
| | - Alexandra Hering
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, Boulevard du Pont-d'Arve 40, 1205, Geneva, Switzerland.,Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Gerontology and Vulnerability, University of Geneva, Switzerland, Boulevard du Pont d'Arve 28, 1205, Genève, Switzerland
| | - Frédéric Grouiller
- Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland. Campus Biotech, Chemin des Mines 9, 1202, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Christopher Sinke
- Center for Systems Neuroscience, Bünteweg 2, 30559, Hannover, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Section of Clinical Psychology & Sexual Medicine, Hannover Medical School, Centre of Mental Health, Carl-Neuberg-Str. 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany
| | - Damien Marie
- Geneva School of Health Sciences, Geneva Musical Minds Lab (GEMMI Lab), University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland HES-SO, Avenue de Champel 47, 1206, Geneva, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Palomar-García MÁ, Hernández M, Olcina G, Adrián-Ventura J, Costumero V, Miró-Padilla A, Villar-Rodríguez E, Ávila C. Auditory and frontal anatomic correlates of pitch discrimination in musicians, non-musicians, and children without musical training. Brain Struct Funct 2020; 225:2735-2744. [PMID: 33029708 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-020-02151-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2020] [Accepted: 09/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Individual differences in pitch discrimination have been associated with the volume of both the bilateral Heschl's gyrus and the right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG). However, most of these studies used samples composed of individuals with different amounts of musical training. Here, we investigated the relationship between pitch discrimination and individual differences in the gray matter (GM) volume of these brain structures in 32 adult musicians, 28 adult non-musicians, and 32 children without musical training. The results showed that (i) the individuals without musical training (whether children or adults) who were better at pitch discrimination had greater volume of auditory regions, whereas (ii) musicians with better pitch discrimination had greater volume of the IFG. These results suggest that the relationship between pitch discrimination and the volume of auditory regions is innately established early in life, and that musical training modulates the volume of the IFG, probably improving audio-motor connectivity. This is the first study to detect a relationship between pitch discrimination ability and GM volume before beginning any musical training in children and adults.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- María-Ángeles Palomar-García
- Neuropsychology and Functional Neuroimaging Group, Department of Basic Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, Universitat Jaume I, Avda. Sos Baynat, s/n., 12071, Castellón de la Plana, Spain.
| | - Mireia Hernández
- Cognition and Brain Plasticity Group, Department of Cognition, Development and Educational Psychology, Institut de Neurociències, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Gustau Olcina
- Neuropsychology and Functional Neuroimaging Group, Department of Education, University Jaume I, 12071, Castellón, Spain
| | - Jesús Adrián-Ventura
- Neuropsychology and Functional Neuroimaging Group, Department of Basic Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, Universitat Jaume I, Avda. Sos Baynat, s/n., 12071, Castellón de la Plana, Spain
| | - Víctor Costumero
- Center for Brain and Cognition, University Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Anna Miró-Padilla
- Neuropsychology and Functional Neuroimaging Group, Department of Basic Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, Universitat Jaume I, Avda. Sos Baynat, s/n., 12071, Castellón de la Plana, Spain
| | - Esteban Villar-Rodríguez
- Neuropsychology and Functional Neuroimaging Group, Department of Basic Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, Universitat Jaume I, Avda. Sos Baynat, s/n., 12071, Castellón de la Plana, Spain
| | - César Ávila
- Neuropsychology and Functional Neuroimaging Group, Department of Basic Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, Universitat Jaume I, Avda. Sos Baynat, s/n., 12071, Castellón de la Plana, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Greber M, Klein C, Leipold S, Sele S, Jäncke L. Heterogeneity of EEG resting-state brain networks in absolute pitch. Int J Psychophysiol 2020; 157:11-22. [PMID: 32721558 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2020.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2020] [Revised: 07/09/2020] [Accepted: 07/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
The neural basis of absolute pitch (AP), the ability to effortlessly identify a musical tone without an external reference, is poorly understood. One of the key questions is whether perceptual or cognitive processes underlie the phenomenon, as both sensory and higher-order brain regions have been associated with AP. To integrate the perceptual and cognitive views on AP, here, we investigated joint contributions of sensory and higher-order brain regions to AP resting-state networks. We performed a comprehensive functional network analysis of source-level EEG in a large sample of AP musicians (n = 54) and non-AP musicians (n = 51), adopting two analysis approaches: First, we applied an ROI-based analysis to examine the connectivity between the auditory cortex and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) using several established functional connectivity measures. This analysis is a replication of a previous study which reported increased connectivity between these two regions in AP musicians. Second, we performed a whole-brain network-based analysis on the same functional connectivity measures to gain a more complete picture of the brain regions involved in a possibly large-scale network supporting AP ability. In our sample, the ROI-based analysis did not provide evidence for an AP-specific connectivity increase between the auditory cortex and the DLPFC. The whole-brain analysis revealed three networks with increased connectivity in AP musicians comprising nodes in frontal, temporal, subcortical, and occipital areas. Commonalities of the networks were found in both sensory and higher-order brain regions of the perisylvian area. Further research will be needed to confirm these exploratory results.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marielle Greber
- Division Neuropsychology, Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Carina Klein
- Division Neuropsychology, Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Simon Leipold
- Division Neuropsychology, Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, USA
| | - Silvano Sele
- Division Neuropsychology, Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; University Research Priority Program (URPP), Dynamics of Healthy Aging, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Lutz Jäncke
- Division Neuropsychology, Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; University Research Priority Program (URPP), Dynamics of Healthy Aging, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Bouhali F, Mongelli V, Thiebaut de Schotten M, Cohen L. Reading music and words: The anatomical connectivity of musicians' visual cortex. Neuroimage 2020; 212:116666. [PMID: 32087374 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.116666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2019] [Revised: 02/10/2020] [Accepted: 02/17/2020] [Indexed: 10/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Musical score reading and word reading have much in common, from their historical origins to their cognitive foundations and neural correlates. In the ventral occipitotemporal cortex (VOT), the specialization of the so-called Visual Word Form Area for word reading has been linked to its privileged structural connectivity to distant language regions. Here we investigated how anatomical connectivity relates to the segregation of regions specialized for musical notation or words in the VOT. In a cohort of professional musicians and non-musicians, we used probabilistic tractography combined with task-related functional MRI to identify the connections of individually defined word- and music-selective left VOT regions. Despite their close proximity, these regions differed significantly in their structural connectivity, irrespective of musical expertise. The music-selective region was significantly more connected to posterior lateral temporal regions than the word-selective region, which, conversely, was significantly more connected to anterior ventral temporal cortex. Furthermore, musical expertise had a double impact on the connectivity of the music region. First, music tracts were significantly larger in musicians than in non-musicians, associated with marginally higher connectivity to perisylvian music-related areas. Second, the spatial similarity between music and word tracts was significantly increased in musicians, consistently with the increased overlap of language and music functional activations in musicians, as compared to non-musicians. These results support the view that, for music as for words, very specific anatomical connections influence the specialization of distinct VOT areas, and that reciprocally those connections are selectively enhanced by the expertise for word or music reading.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Florence Bouhali
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm U 1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière, ICM, Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, 75013, Paris, France; Department of Psychiatry & Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA.
| | - Valeria Mongelli
- Neurobiology of Language Department, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, Netherlands; Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands; Amsterdam Brain and Cognition (ABC), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Michel Thiebaut de Schotten
- Brain Connectivity and Behaviour Laboratory, Sorbonne Universities, Paris, France; Groupe d'Imagerie Neurofonctionnelle, Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives-UMR 5293, CNRS, CEA University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
| | - Laurent Cohen
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm U 1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière, ICM, Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, 75013, Paris, France; Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital de la Pitié Salpêtrière, Fédération de Neurologie, F-75013, Paris, France
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
The importance of the fibre tracts connecting the planum temporale in absolute pitch possessors. Neuroimage 2020; 211:116590. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.116590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2019] [Revised: 01/26/2020] [Accepted: 01/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
|
25
|
Sutcliffe R, Du K, Ruffman T. Music Making and Neuropsychological Aging: A Review. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 113:479-491. [PMID: 32302600 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.03.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2019] [Revised: 03/23/2020] [Accepted: 03/25/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Aging is associated with a decline in social understanding and general cognition. Both are integral to wellbeing and rely on similar brain regions. Thus, as the population ages, there is a growing need for knowledge on the types of activities that maintain brain health in older adulthood. Active engagement in music making might be one such activity because it places a demand on brain networks tapping into multisensory integration, learning, reward, and cognition. It has been hypothesized that this demand may promote plasticity in the frontal and temporal lobes by taxing cognitive abilities and, hence, increase resistance to age-related neurodegeneration. We examine research relevant to this hypothesis and note that there is a lack of intervention studies with a well-matched control condition and random assignment. Thus, we discuss potential causal mechanisms underlying training-related neuropsychological changes, and provide suggestions for future research. It is argued that although music training might be a valuable tool for supporting healthy neuropsychological aging and mental wellbeing, well-controlled intervention studies are necessary to provide clear evidence.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ryan Sutcliffe
- Department of Psychology, University of Otago, New Zealand.
| | - Kangning Du
- Department of Psychology, University of Otago, New Zealand
| | - Ted Ruffman
- Department of Psychology, University of Otago, New Zealand.
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Sadakata M, Weidema JL, Honing H. Parallel pitch processing in speech and melody: A study of the interference of musical melody on lexical pitch perception in speakers of Mandarin. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0229109. [PMID: 32130244 PMCID: PMC7055904 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0229109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2019] [Accepted: 01/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Music and language have long been considered two distinct cognitive faculties governed by domain-specific cognitive and neural mechanisms. Recent work into the domain-specificity of pitch processing in both domains appears to suggest pitch processing to be governed by shared neural mechanisms. The current study aimed to explore the domain-specificity of pitch processing by simultaneously presenting pitch contours in speech and music to speakers of a tonal language, and measuring behavioral response and event-related potentials (ERPs). Native speakers of Mandarin were exposed to concurrent pitch contours in melody and speech. Contours in melody emulated those in speech were either congruent or incongruent with the pitch contour of the lexical tone (i.e., rising or falling). Component magnitudes of the N2b and N400 were used as indices of lexical processing. We found that the N2b was modulated by melodic pitch; incongruent item evoked significantly stronger amplitude. There was a trend of N400 to be modulated in the same way. Interestingly, these effects were present only on rising tones. Amplitude and time-course of the N2b and N400 may suggest an interference of melodic pitch contours with both early and late stages of phonological and semantic processing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Makiko Sadakata
- Institute for Logic, Language and Computation, Amsterdam Brain & Cognition, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Musicology Department, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- * E-mail:
| | - Joey L. Weidema
- Institute for Logic, Language and Computation, Amsterdam Brain & Cognition, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Henkjan Honing
- Institute for Logic, Language and Computation, Amsterdam Brain & Cognition, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Musicology Department, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Abstract
Absolute pitch (AP) refers to the rare ability to name the pitch of a tone without external reference. It is widely believed to be only for the selected few with rare genetic makeup and early musical training during the critical period, and therefore acquiring AP in adulthood is impossible. Previous studies have not offered a strong test of the effect of training because of issues like small sample size and insufficient training. In three experiments, adults learned to name pitches in a computerized, gamified and personalized training protocol for 12 to 40 hours, with the number of pitches gradually increased from three to twelve. Across the three experiments, the training covered different octaves, timbre, and training environment (inside or outside laboratory). AP learning showed classic characteristics of perceptual learning, including generalization of learning dependent on the training stimuli, and sustained improvement for at least one to three months. 14% of the participants (6 out of 43) were able to name twelve pitches at 90% or above accuracy, comparable to that of 'AP possessors' as defined in the literature. Overall, AP continues to be learnable in adulthood, which challenges the view that AP development requires both rare genetic predisposition and learning within the critical period. The finding calls for reconsideration of the role of learning in the occurrence of AP, and pushes the field to pinpoint and explain the differences, if any, between the aspects of AP more trainable in adulthood and the aspects of AP that are potentially exclusive for the few exceptional AP possessors observed in the real world.
Collapse
|
28
|
Matsuda M, Igarashi H, Itoh K. Auditory T-Complex Reveals Reduced Neural Activities in the Right Auditory Cortex in Musicians With Absolute Pitch. Front Neurosci 2019; 13:809. [PMID: 31447632 PMCID: PMC6691098 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2019.00809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2019] [Accepted: 07/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Absolute pitch (AP) is the ability to identify the pitch names of arbitrary musical tones without being given a reference pitch. The acquisition of AP typically requires early musical training, the critical time window for which is similar to that for the acquisition of a first language. This study investigated the left-right asymmetry of the auditory cortical functions responsible for AP by focusing on the T-complex of auditory evoked potentials (AEPs), which shows morphological changes during the critical period for language acquisition. AEPs evoked by a pure-tone stimulus were recorded in high-AP musicians, low-AP musicians, and non-musicians (n = 19 each). A balanced non-cephalic electrode (BNE) reference was used to examine the left-right asymmetry of the N1a and N1c components of the T-complex. As a result, a left-dominant N1c was observed only in the high-AP musician group, indicating "AP negativity," which has previously been described as an electrophysiological marker of AP. Notably, this hemispheric asymmetry was due to a diminution of the right N1c rather than enhancement of the left N1c. A left-dominant N1a was found in both musician groups, irrespective of AP. N1c and N1a exhibited no left-right asymmetry in non-musicians. Hence, music training and the acquisition of AP are both accompanied by a left-dominant hemispheric specialization of auditory cortical functions, as indexed by N1a and N1c, respectively, but the N1c asymmetry in AP possessors was due to reduced neural activities in the right hemisphere. The use of a BNE is recommended for evaluating these radially oriented components of the T-complex.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Kosuke Itoh
- Center for Integrated Human Brain Science, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
The superior longitudinal fasciculus and its functional triple-network mechanisms in brooding. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2019; 24:101935. [PMID: 31352219 PMCID: PMC6664225 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2019.101935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2019] [Revised: 07/10/2019] [Accepted: 07/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Brooding, which refers to a repetitive focus on one's distress, is associated with functional connectivity within Default-Mode, Salience, and Executive-Control networks (DMN; SN; ECN), comprising the so-called "triple-network" of attention. Individual differences in brain structure that might perseverate dysfunctional connectivity of brain networks associated with brooding are less clear, however. Using diffusion and functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, we explored multimodal relationships between brooding severity, white-matter microstructure, and resting-state functional connectivity in depressed adults (N = 32-44), and then examined whether findings directly replicated in a demographically-similar, independent sample (N = 36-45). Among the fully-replicated results, three core findings emerged. First, brooding severity is associated with functional integration and segregation of the triple-network, particularly with a Precuneal subnetwork of the DMN. Second, microstructural asymmetry of the Superior Longitudinal Fasciculus (SLF) provides a robust structural connectivity basis for brooding and may account for over 20% of its severity (Discovery: adj. R2 = 0.18; Replication: adj. R2 = 0.22; MSE = 0.06, Predictive R2 = 0.22). Finally, microstructure of the right SLF and auxiliary white-matter is associated with the functional connectivity correlates of brooding, both within and between components of the triple-network (Discovery: adj. R2 = 0.21; Replication: adj. R2 = 0.18; MSE = 0.03, Predictive R2 = 0.21-0.22). By cross-validating multimodal discovery with replication, the present findings help to reproducibly unify disparate perspectives of brooding etiology. Based on that synthesis, our study reformulates brooding as a microstructural-functional connectivity neurophenotype.
Collapse
|
30
|
Loui P, Raine LB, Chaddock-Heyman L, Kramer AF, Hillman CH. Musical Instrument Practice Predicts White Matter Microstructure and Cognitive Abilities in Childhood. Front Psychol 2019; 10:1198. [PMID: 31178805 PMCID: PMC6543906 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2019] [Accepted: 05/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Musical training has been associated with advantages in cognitive measures of IQ and verbal ability, as well as neural measures including white matter microstructural properties in the corpus callosum (CC) and the superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF). We hypothesized that children who have musical training will have different microstructural properties in the SLF and CC. One hundred children aged 7.9-9.9 years (mean age 8.7) were surveyed for their musical activities, completed neuropsychological testing for general cognitive abilities, and underwent diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) as part of a larger study. Children who play a musical instrument for more than 0.5 h per week (n = 34) had higher scores on verbal ability and intellectual ability (standardized scores from the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Abilities), as well as higher axial diffusivity (AD) in the left SLF than those who did not play a musical instrument (n = 66). Furthermore, the intensity of musical practice, quantified as the number of hours of music practice per week, was correlated with axial diffusivity (AD) in the left SLF. Results are not explained by age, sex, socio-economic status, or physical fitness of the participants. The results suggest that the relationship between musical practice and intellectual ability is related to the maturation of white matter pathways in the auditory-motor system. The findings suggest that musical training may be a means of improving cognitive and brain health during development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Psyche Loui
- Department of Music, Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Lauren B Raine
- Department of Music, Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United States
| | | | - Arthur F Kramer
- Department of Music, Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Charles H Hillman
- Department of Music, Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Jeon HA, Kuhl U, Friederici AD. Mathematical expertise modulates the architecture of dorsal and cortico-thalamic white matter tracts. Sci Rep 2019; 9:6825. [PMID: 31048754 PMCID: PMC6497695 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-43400-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2018] [Accepted: 04/23/2019] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
To what extent are levels of cognitive expertise reflected in differential structural connectivity of the brain? We addressed this question by analyzing the white matter brain structure of experts (mathematicians) versus non-experts (non-mathematicians) using probabilistic tractography. Having mathematicians and non-mathematicians as participant groups enabled us to directly compare profiles of structural connectivity arising from individual levels of expertise in mathematics. Tracking from functional seed regions activated during the processing of complex arithmetic formulas revealed an involvement of various fiber bundles such the inferior fronto-occipital fascicle, arcuate fasciculus/superior longitudinal fasciculus (AF/SLF), cross-hemispheric connections of frontal lobe areas through the corpus callosum and cortico-subcortical connectivity via the bilateral thalamic radiation. With the aim of investigating expertise-dependent structural connectivity, the streamline density was correlated with the level of expertise, defined by automaticity of processing complex mathematics. The results showed that structural integrity of the AF/SLF was higher in individuals with higher automaticity, while stronger cortico-thalamic connectivity was associated with lower levels of automaticity. Therefore, we suggest that expertise in the domain of mathematics is reflected in plastic changes of the brain's white matter structure, possibly reflecting a general principle of cognitive expertise.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hyeon-Ae Jeon
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu, 42988, Korea.
- Partner Group of the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences at the Department for Brain and Cognitive Sciences, DGIST, Daegu, 42988, Korea.
| | - Ulrike Kuhl
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
| | - Angela D Friederici
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Paraskevopoulos E, Chalas N, Kartsidis P, Wollbrink A, Bamidis P. Statistical learning of multisensory regularities is enhanced in musicians: An MEG study. Neuroimage 2018; 175:150-160. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2018] [Revised: 03/21/2018] [Accepted: 04/02/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
|
33
|
Daikoku T. Neurophysiological Markers of Statistical Learning in Music and Language: Hierarchy, Entropy, and Uncertainty. Brain Sci 2018; 8:E114. [PMID: 29921829 PMCID: PMC6025354 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci8060114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2018] [Revised: 06/14/2018] [Accepted: 06/18/2018] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Statistical learning (SL) is a method of learning based on the transitional probabilities embedded in sequential phenomena such as music and language. It has been considered an implicit and domain-general mechanism that is innate in the human brain and that functions independently of intention to learn and awareness of what has been learned. SL is an interdisciplinary notion that incorporates information technology, artificial intelligence, musicology, and linguistics, as well as psychology and neuroscience. A body of recent study has suggested that SL can be reflected in neurophysiological responses based on the framework of information theory. This paper reviews a range of work on SL in adults and children that suggests overlapping and independent neural correlations in music and language, and that indicates disability of SL. Furthermore, this article discusses the relationships between the order of transitional probabilities (TPs) (i.e., hierarchy of local statistics) and entropy (i.e., global statistics) regarding SL strategies in human's brains; claims importance of information-theoretical approaches to understand domain-general, higher-order, and global SL covering both real-world music and language; and proposes promising approaches for the application of therapy and pedagogy from various perspectives of psychology, neuroscience, computational studies, musicology, and linguistics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tatsuya Daikoku
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Zuk J, Gaab N. Evaluating predisposition and training in shaping the musician's brain: the need for a developmental perspective. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2018; 1423:10.1111/nyas.13737. [PMID: 29799116 PMCID: PMC6252158 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.13737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2017] [Revised: 03/21/2018] [Accepted: 03/28/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The study of music training as a model for structural plasticity has evolved significantly over the past 15 years. Neuroimaging studies have identified characteristic structural brain alterations in musicians compared to nonmusicians in school-age children and adults, using primarily cross-sectional designs. Despite this emerging evidence and advances in pediatric neuroimaging techniques, hardly any studies have examined brain development in early childhood (before age 8) in association with musical training, and longitudinal studies starting in infancy or preschool are particularly scarce. Consequently, it remains unclear whether the characteristic "musician brain" is solely the result of musical training, or whether certain predispositions may have an impact on its development. Moving toward a developmental perspective, the present review considers various factors that may contribute to early brain structure prior to the onset of formal musical training. This review introduces a model for potential neurobiological pathways leading to the characteristic "musician brain," which involves a developmental interaction between predisposition and its temporal dynamics, environmental experience, and training-induced plasticity. This perspective illuminates the importance of studying the brain structure associated with musical training through a developmental lens, and the need for longitudinal studies in early childhood to advance our understanding of music training-induced structural plasticity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Zuk
- Developmental Medicine Center, Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Nadine Gaab
- Developmental Medicine Center, Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Mayeli M, Rahmani F, Aarabi MH. Comprehensive Investigation of White Matter Tracts in Professional Chess Players and Relation to Expertise: Region of Interest and DMRI Connectometry. Front Neurosci 2018; 12:288. [PMID: 29773973 PMCID: PMC5943529 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2018.00288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2017] [Accepted: 04/12/2018] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Purpose: Expertise is the product of training. Few studies have used functional connectivity or conventional diffusometric methods to identify neural underpinnings of chess expertise. Diffusometric variables of white matter might reflect these adaptive changes, along with changes in structural connectivity, which is a sensitive measure of microstructural changes. Method: Diffusometric variables of 29 professional chess players and 29 age-sex matched controls were extracted for white matter regions based on John Hopkin's Mori white matter atlas and partially correlated against professional training time and level of chess proficiency. Diffusion MRI connectometry was implemented to identify changes in structural connectivity in professional players compared to novices. Result: Compared to novices, higher planar anisotropy (CP) was observed in inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF), superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF) and cingulate gyrus, in professional chess players, which correlated with higher RPM score in this group. Higher fractional anisotropy (FA) was observed in ILF, uncinate fasciculus (UF) and hippocampus and correlated with better scores in Raven's progressive matrices (RPM) score and longer duration of chess training in professional players. Consistently, radial diffusivity in bilateral IFOF, bilateral ILF and bilateral SLF was inversely correlated with level of training in professional players. DMRI connectometry analysis identified increased connectivity in bilateral UF, bilateral IFOF, bilateral cingulum, and corpus callosum in chess player's compared to controls. Conclusion: Structural connectivity of major associational subcortical white matter fibers are increased in professional chess players. FA and CP of ILF, SLF and UF directly correlates with duration of professional training and RPM score, in professional chess players.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mahsa Mayeli
- Students' Scientific Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.,NeuroImaging Network (NIN), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Tehran, Iran
| | - Farzaneh Rahmani
- Students' Scientific Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.,NeuroImaging Network (NIN), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad Hadi Aarabi
- Students' Scientific Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Theta Coherence Asymmetry in the Dorsal Stream of Musicians Facilitates Word Learning. Sci Rep 2018; 8:4565. [PMID: 29545619 PMCID: PMC5854697 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-22942-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2017] [Accepted: 03/01/2018] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Word learning constitutes a human faculty which is dependent upon two anatomically distinct processing streams projecting from posterior superior temporal (pST) and inferior parietal (IP) brain regions toward the prefrontal cortex (dorsal stream) and the temporal pole (ventral stream). The ventral stream is involved in mapping sensory and phonological information onto lexical-semantic representations, whereas the dorsal stream contributes to sound-to-motor mapping, articulation, complex sequencing in the verbal domain, and to how verbal information is encoded, stored, and rehearsed from memory. In the present source-based EEG study, we evaluated functional connectivity between the IP lobe and Broca's area while musicians and non-musicians learned pseudowords presented in the form of concatenated auditory streams. Behavioral results demonstrated that musicians outperformed non-musicians, as reflected by a higher sensitivity index (d'). This behavioral superiority was paralleled by increased left-hemispheric theta coherence in the dorsal stream, whereas non-musicians showed stronger functional connectivity in the right hemisphere. Since no between-group differences were observed in a passive listening control condition nor during rest, results point to a task-specific intertwining between musical expertise, functional connectivity, and word learning.
Collapse
|
37
|
Elmer S, Jäncke L. Relationships between music training, speech processing, and word learning: a network perspective. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2018; 1423:10-18. [PMID: 29542125 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.13581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2017] [Revised: 11/16/2017] [Accepted: 11/27/2017] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Numerous studies have documented the behavioral advantages conferred on professional musicians and children undergoing music training in processing speech sounds varying in the spectral and temporal dimensions. These beneficial effects have previously often been associated with local functional and structural changes in the auditory cortex (AC). However, this perspective is oversimplified, in that it does not take into account the intrinsic organization of the human brain, namely, neural networks and oscillatory dynamics. Therefore, we propose a new framework for extending these previous findings to a network perspective by integrating multimodal imaging, electrophysiology, and neural oscillations. In particular, we provide concrete examples of how functional and structural connectivity can be used to model simple neural circuits exerting a modulatory influence on AC activity. In addition, we describe how such a network approach can be used for better comprehending the beneficial effects of music training on more complex speech functions, such as word learning.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Elmer
- Division of Neuropsychology (Auditory Research Group Zurich, ARGZ), Institute of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Lutz Jäncke
- Division of Neuropsychology (Auditory Research Group Zurich, ARGZ), Institute of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Center for Integrative Human Physiology (ZIHP), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- International Normal Aging and Plasticity Imaging Center (INAPIC), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- University Research Priority Program (URPP) "Dynamic of Healthy Aging", University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Special Education, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Investigation of superior longitudinal fasciculus fiber complexity in recent onset psychosis. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2018; 81:114-121. [PMID: 29111405 PMCID: PMC5816971 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2017.10.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2017] [Revised: 10/12/2017] [Accepted: 10/27/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Standard diffusion tensor imaging measures (e.g., fractional anisotropy; FA) are difficult to interpret in brain regions with crossing white-matter (WM) fibers. Diffusion spectrum imaging (DSI) can be used to resolve fiber crossing, but has been difficult to implement in studies of patients with psychosis given long scan times. METHODS We used four fold accelerated compressed sensing to accelerate DSI acquisition to investigate the superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF) in 27 (20M/7F) patients with recent onset psychosis and 23 (11M/12F) healthy volunteers. Dependent measures included the number of crossing fiber directions, multi directional anisotropy (MDA), which is a measure sensitive to the anisotropy of the underlying water diffusion in regions of crossing fibers, generalized FA (GFA) computed from the orientation distribution function, FA and tract volume. RESULTS Patients demonstrated a greater number of crossing WM fibers, lower MDA, GFA and FA in the left SLF compared to healthy volunteers. Patients also demonstrated a reversal in the normal (R>L) asymmetry of crossing fiber directions in the SLF and a lack of normal (L>R) asymmetry in MDA, GFA and FA compared to healthy volunteers. Lower GFA correlated significantly (p<0.05) with worse overall neuropsychological functioning; posthoc tests revealed significant effects with verbal functioning and processing speed. CONCLUSIONS Our findings provide the first in vivo evidence for abnormal crossing fibers within the SLF among individuals with psychosis and their functional correlates. A reversal in the normal pattern of WM asymmetry of crossing fibers in patients may be consistent with an aberrant neurodevelopmental process.
Collapse
|
39
|
Tracting the neural basis of music: Deficient structural connectivity underlying acquired amusia. Cortex 2017; 97:255-273. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2017.09.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2017] [Revised: 06/08/2017] [Accepted: 09/29/2017] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
|
40
|
Paraskevopoulos E, Chalas N, Bamidis P. Functional connectivity of the cortical network supporting statistical learning in musicians and non-musicians: an MEG study. Sci Rep 2017; 7:16268. [PMID: 29176557 PMCID: PMC5701139 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-16592-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2017] [Accepted: 11/14/2017] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Statistical learning is a cognitive process of great importance for the detection and representation of environmental regularities. Complex cognitive processes such as statistical learning usually emerge as a result of the activation of widespread cortical areas functioning in dynamic networks. The present study investigated the cortical large-scale network supporting statistical learning of tone sequences in humans. The reorganization of this network related to musical expertise was assessed via a cross-sectional comparison of a group of musicians to a group of non-musicians. The cortical responses to a statistical learning paradigm incorporating an oddball approach were measured via Magnetoencephalographic (MEG) recordings. Large-scale connectivity of the cortical activity was calculated via a statistical comparison of the estimated transfer entropy in the sources' activity. Results revealed the functional architecture of the network supporting the processing of statistical learning, highlighting the prominent role of informational processing pathways that bilaterally connect superior temporal and intraparietal sources with the left IFG. Musical expertise is related to extensive reorganization of this network, as the group of musicians showed a network comprising of more widespread and distributed cortical areas as well as enhanced global efficiency and increased contribution of additional temporal and frontal sources in the information processing pathway.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Evangelos Paraskevopoulos
- School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, P.C., 54124, Thessaloniki, Greece.
- Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignalanalysis, University of Münster, P.C., D-48149, Münster, Germany.
| | - Nikolas Chalas
- School of Biology, Faculty of Science, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, P.C., 54124, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Panagiotis Bamidis
- School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, P.C., 54124, Thessaloniki, Greece
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Dittinger E, Valizadeh SA, Jäncke L, Besson M, Elmer S. Increased functional connectivity in the ventral and dorsal streams during retrieval of novel words in professional musicians. Hum Brain Mapp 2017; 39:722-734. [PMID: 29105247 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.23877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2017] [Revised: 10/13/2017] [Accepted: 10/23/2017] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Current models of speech and language processing postulate the involvement of two parallel processing streams (the dual stream model): a ventral stream involved in mapping sensory and phonological representations onto lexical and conceptual representations and a dorsal stream contributing to sound-to-motor mapping, articulation, and to how verbal information is encoded and manipulated in memory. Based on previous evidence showing that music training has an influence on language processing, cognitive functions, and word learning, we examined EEG-based intracranial functional connectivity in the ventral and dorsal streams while musicians and nonmusicians learned the meaning of novel words through picture-word associations. In accordance with the dual stream model, word learning was generally associated with increased beta functional connectivity in the ventral stream compared to the dorsal stream. In addition, in the linguistically most demanding "semantic task," musicians outperformed nonmusicians, and this behavioral advantage was accompanied by increased left-hemispheric theta connectivity in both streams. Moreover, theta coherence in the left dorsal pathway was positively correlated with the number of years of music training. These results provide evidence for a complex interplay within a network of brain regions involved in semantic processing and verbal memory functions, and suggest that intensive music training can modify its functional architecture leading to advantages in novel word learning.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eva Dittinger
- CNRS & Aix-Marseille Univ, Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives (LNC, UMR 7291), Marseille, France.,CNRS & Aix-Marseille Univ, Laboratoire Parole et Langage (LPL, UMR 7309), Aix-en-Provence, France.,Brain and Language Research Institute (BLRI), Aix-en-Provence, France
| | - Seyed Abolfazl Valizadeh
- Auditory Research Group Zurich (ARGZ), Division Neuropsychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Sensory-Motor System Lab, Institute of Robotics and Intelligence Systems, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Lutz Jäncke
- Auditory Research Group Zurich (ARGZ), Division Neuropsychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,University Research Priority Program (URRP) "Dynamic of Healthy Aging", Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Mireille Besson
- CNRS & Aix-Marseille Univ, Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives (LNC, UMR 7291), Marseille, France
| | - Stefan Elmer
- Auditory Research Group Zurich (ARGZ), Division Neuropsychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
Abstract
Abstract
The mini-review provides an overview on the differences between the right and left hemispheres of the brain. Recent studies highlight the contribution of the two hemispheres to the physical and mental control, and the interaction language-music. We focused the attention on the behaviour of the right and left hemispheres about the music and on what happens when music areas are damaged.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Gizzi
- Department of Psychology, University of Torino, Torino , Italy
| | - Elisabetta Albi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Science, University of Perugia, Perugia , Italy
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
Kim SG, Knösche TR. On the Perceptual Subprocess of Absolute Pitch. Front Neurosci 2017; 11:557. [PMID: 29085275 PMCID: PMC5649255 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2017.00557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2017] [Accepted: 09/22/2017] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Absolute pitch (AP) is the rare ability of musicians to identify the pitch of tonal sound without external reference. While there have been behavioral and neuroimaging studies on the characteristics of AP, how the AP is implemented in human brains remains largely unknown. AP can be viewed as comprising of two subprocesses: perceptual (processing auditory input to extract a pitch chroma) and associative (linking an auditory representation of pitch chroma with a verbal/non-verbal label). In this review, we focus on the nature of the perceptual subprocess of AP. Two different models on how the perceptual subprocess works have been proposed: either via absolute pitch categorization (APC) or based on absolute pitch memory (APM). A major distinction between the two views is that whether the AP uses unique auditory processing (i.e., APC) that exists only in musicians with AP or it is rooted in a common phenomenon (i.e., APM), only with heightened efficiency. We review relevant behavioral and neuroimaging evidence that supports each notion. Lastly, we list open questions and potential ideas to address them.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Seung-Goo Kim
- Research Group for MEG and EEG-Cortical Networks and Cognitive Functions, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Thomas R Knösche
- Research Group for MEG and EEG-Cortical Networks and Cognitive Functions, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
44
|
Kim SG, Knösche TR. Resting state functional connectivity of the ventral auditory pathway in musicians with absolute pitch. Hum Brain Mapp 2017; 38:3899-3916. [PMID: 28481006 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.23637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2017] [Revised: 04/06/2017] [Accepted: 04/23/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Absolute pitch (AP) is the ability to recognize pitch chroma of tonal sound without external references, providing a unique model of the human auditory system (Zatorre: Nat Neurosci 6 () 692-695). In a previous study (Kim and Knösche: Hum Brain Mapp () 3486-3501), we identified enhanced intracortical myelination in the right planum polare (PP) in musicians with AP, which could be a potential site for perceptional processing of pitch chroma information. We speculated that this area, which initiates the ventral auditory pathway, might be crucially involved in the perceptual stage of the AP process in the context of the "dual pathway hypothesis" that suggests the role of the ventral pathway in processing nonspatial information related to the identity of an auditory object (Rauschecker: Eur J Neurosci 41 () 579-585). To test our conjecture on the ventral pathway, we investigated resting state functional connectivity (RSFC) using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) from musicians with varying degrees of AP. Should our hypothesis be correct, RSFC via the ventral pathway is expected to be stronger in musicians with AP, whereas such group effect is not predicted in the RSFC via the dorsal pathway. In the current data, we found greater RSFC between the right PP and bilateral anteroventral auditory cortices in musicians with AP. In contrast, we did not find any group difference in the RSFC of the planum temporale (PT) between musicians with and without AP. We believe that these findings support our conjecture on the critical role of the ventral pathway in AP recognition. Hum Brain Mapp 38:3899-3916, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Seung-Goo Kim
- Research Group for MEG and EEG - Cortical Networks and Cognitive Functions, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Thomas R Knösche
- Research Group for MEG and EEG - Cortical Networks and Cognitive Functions, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
45
|
Chavarria-Soley G. Absolute pitch in Costa Rica: Distribution of pitch identification ability and implications for its genetic basis. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2016; 140:891. [PMID: 27586721 DOI: 10.1121/1.4960569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Absolute pitch is the unusual ability to recognize a pitch without an external reference. The current view is that both environmental and genetic factors are involved in the acquisition of the trait. In the present study, 127 adult musicians were subjected to a musical tone identification test. Subjects were university music students and volunteers who responded to a newspaper article. The test consisted of the identification of 40 piano and 40 pure tones. Subjects were classified in three categories according to their pitch naming ability: absolute pitch (AP), high accuracy of tone identification (HA), and non-absolute pitch (non-AP). Both the percentage of correct responses and the mean absolute deviation showed a statistically significant variation between categories. A very clear pattern of higher accuracy for white than for black key notes was observed for the HA and the non-AP groups. Meanwhile, the AP group had an almost perfect pitch naming accuracy for both kinds of tones. Each category presented a very different pattern of deviation around the correct response. The age at the beginning of musical training did not differ between categories. The distribution of pitch identification ability in this study suggests a complex inheritance of the trait.
Collapse
|
46
|
Kim SG, Knösche TR. Intracortical myelination in musicians with absolute pitch: Quantitative morphometry using 7-T MRI. Hum Brain Mapp 2016; 37:3486-501. [PMID: 27160707 PMCID: PMC5084814 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.23254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2016] [Revised: 04/26/2016] [Accepted: 04/27/2016] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Absolute pitch (AP) is known as the ability to recognize and label the pitch chroma of a given tone without external reference. Known brain structures and functions related to AP are mainly of macroscopic aspects. To shed light on the underlying neural mechanism of AP, we investigated the intracortical myeloarchitecture in musicians with and without AP using the quantitative mapping of the longitudinal relaxation rates with ultra‐high‐field magnetic resonance imaging at 7 T. We found greater intracortical myelination for AP musicians in the anterior region of the supratemporal plane, particularly the medial region of the right planum polare (PP). In the same region of the right PP, we also found a positive correlation with a behavioral index of AP performance. In addition, we found a positive correlation with a frequency discrimination threshold in the anterolateral Heschl's gyrus in the right hemisphere, demonstrating distinctive neural processes of absolute recognition and relative discrimination of pitch. Regarding possible effects of local myelination in the cortex and the known importance of the anterior superior temporal gyrus/sulcus for the identification of auditory objects, we argue that pitch chroma may be processed as an identifiable object property in AP musicians. Hum Brain Mapp 37:3486–3501, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Seung-Goo Kim
- Research Group for MEG and EEG-Cortical Networks and Cognitive Functions, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Thomas R Knösche
- Research Group for MEG and EEG-Cortical Networks and Cognitive Functions, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
47
|
Pisner DA, Smith R, Alkozei A, Klimova A, Killgore WDS. Highways of the emotional intellect: white matter microstructural correlates of an ability-based measure of emotional intelligence. Soc Neurosci 2016; 12:253-267. [PMID: 27072165 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2016.1176600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Individuals differ in their ability to understand emotional information and apply that understanding to make decisions and solve problems effectively - a construct known as Emotional Intelligence (EI). While considerable evidence supports the importance of EI in social and occupational functioning, the neural underpinnings of this capacity are relatively unexplored. We used Tract-Based Spatial Statistics (TBSS) to determine the white matter correlates of EI as measured by the ability-based Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT). Participants included 32 healthy adults (16 men; 16 women), aged 18-45 years. White matter integrity in key tracts was positively correlated with the Strategic Area branches of the MSCEIT (Understanding Emotions and Managing Emotions), but not the Experiential branches (Perceiving and Facilitating Emotions). Specifically, the Understanding Emotions branch was associated with greater fractional anisotropy (FA) within somatosensory and sensory-motor fiber bundles, particularly those of the left superior longitudinal fasciculus and corticospinal tract. Managing Emotions was associated with greater FA within frontal-affective association tracts including the anterior forceps and right uncinate fasciculus, along with frontal-parietal cingulum and interhemispheric corpus callosum tracts. These findings suggest that specific components of EI are directly related to the structural microarchitecture of major axonal pathways.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Derek A Pisner
- a Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Laboratory , University of Arizona College of Medicine , Tucson , AZ , USA
| | - Ryan Smith
- a Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Laboratory , University of Arizona College of Medicine , Tucson , AZ , USA
| | - Anna Alkozei
- a Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Laboratory , University of Arizona College of Medicine , Tucson , AZ , USA
| | - Aleksandra Klimova
- a Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Laboratory , University of Arizona College of Medicine , Tucson , AZ , USA
| | - William D S Killgore
- a Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Laboratory , University of Arizona College of Medicine , Tucson , AZ , USA.,b Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Laboratory, McLean Hospital , Harvard Medical School , Belmont , MA , USA
| |
Collapse
|
48
|
Alm KH, Rolheiser T, Olson IR. Inter-individual variation in fronto-temporal connectivity predicts the ability to learn different types of associations. Neuroimage 2016; 132:213-224. [PMID: 26908315 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.02.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2015] [Revised: 02/10/2016] [Accepted: 02/13/2016] [Indexed: 10/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The uncinate fasciculus connects portions of the anterior and medial temporal lobes to the lateral orbitofrontal cortex, so it has long been thought that this limbic fiber pathway plays an important role in episodic memory. Some types of episodic memory are impaired after damage to the uncinate, while others remain intact. Because of this, the specific role played by the uncinate fasciculus in episodic memory remains undetermined. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that the uncinate fasciculus is involved in episodic memory tasks that have high competition between representations at retrieval. To test this hypothesis, healthy young adults performed three tasks: Experiment 1 in which they learned to associate names with faces through feedback provided at the end of each trial; Experiment 2 in which they learned to associate fractals with cued locations through feedback provided at the end of each trial; and Experiment 3 in which unique faces were remembered in a paradigm with low retrieval competition. Diffusion tensor imaging and deterministic tractography methods were used to extract measures of uncinate fasciculus microstructure. Results revealed that microstructural properties of the uncinate, but not a control tract, the inferior longitudinal fasciculus, significantly predicted individual differences in performance on the face-name and fractal-location tasks. However, no relationship was observed for simple face memory (Experiment 3). These findings suggest that the uncinate fasciculus may be important for adjudicating between competing memory representations at the time of episodic retrieval.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kylie H Alm
- Temple University, Department of Psychology, United States
| | | | - Ingrid R Olson
- Temple University, Department of Psychology, United States.
| |
Collapse
|
49
|
Choi US, Sung YW, Hong S, Chung JY, Ogawa S. Structural and functional plasticity specific to musical training with wind instruments. Front Hum Neurosci 2015; 9:597. [PMID: 26578939 PMCID: PMC4624850 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2015.00597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2015] [Accepted: 10/14/2015] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Numerous neuroimaging studies have shown structural and functional changes resulting from musical training. Among these studies, changes in primary sensory areas are mostly related to motor functions. In this study, we looked for some similar functional and structural changes in other functional modalities, such as somatosensory function, by examining the effects of musical training with wind instruments. We found significant changes in two aspects of neuroplasticity, cortical thickness, and resting-state neuronal networks. A group of subjects with several years of continuous musical training and who are currently playing in university wind ensembles showed differences in cortical thickness in lip- and tongue-related brain areas vs. non-music playing subjects. Cortical thickness in lip-related brain areas was significantly thicker and that in tongue-related areas was significantly thinner in the music playing group compared with that in the non-music playing group. Association analysis of lip-related areas in the music playing group showed that the increase in cortical thickness was caused by musical training. In addition, seed-based correlation analysis showed differential activation in the precentral gyrus and supplementary motor areas (SMA) between the music and non-music playing groups. These results suggest that high-intensity training with specific musical instruments could induce structural changes in related anatomical areas and could also generate a new functional neuronal network in the brain.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Uk-Su Choi
- Neuroscience Research Institute, Gachon University of Medicine and Science Incheon, South Korea
| | - Yul-Wan Sung
- Kansei Fukushi Research Institute, Tohoku Fukushi University Sendai, Japan
| | - Sujin Hong
- Reid School of Music, Edinburgh College of Art, Institute for Music and Human Society Development, University of Edinburgh Edinburgh, UK
| | - Jun-Young Chung
- Neuroscience Research Institute, Gachon University of Medicine and Science Incheon, South Korea
| | - Seiji Ogawa
- Kansei Fukushi Research Institute, Tohoku Fukushi University Sendai, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
50
|
Musical expertise is related to altered functional connectivity during audiovisual integration. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2015; 112:12522-7. [PMID: 26371305 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1510662112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The present study investigated the cortical large-scale functional network underpinning audiovisual integration via magnetoencephalographic recordings. The reorganization of this network related to long-term musical training was investigated by comparing musicians to nonmusicians. Connectivity was calculated on the basis of the estimated mutual information of the sources' activity, and the corresponding networks were statistically compared. Nonmusicians' results indicated that the cortical network associated with audiovisual integration supports visuospatial processing and attentional shifting, whereas a sparser network, related to spatial awareness supports the identification of audiovisual incongruences. In contrast, musicians' results showed enhanced connectivity in regions related to the identification of auditory pattern violations. Hence, nonmusicians rely on the processing of visual clues for the integration of audiovisual information, whereas musicians rely mostly on the corresponding auditory information. The large-scale cortical network underpinning multisensory integration is reorganized due to expertise in a cognitive domain that largely involves audiovisual integration, indicating long-term training-related neuroplasticity.
Collapse
|