Degree of Musical Expertise Modulates Higher Order Brain Functioning

Abstract

Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we show for the first time that levels of musical expertise stepwise modulate higher order brain functioning. This suggests that degree of training intensity drives such cerebral plasticity. Participants (non-musicians, amateurs, and expert musicians) listened to a comprehensive set of specifically composed string quartets with hierarchically manipulated endings. In particular, we implemented 2 irregularities at musical closure that differed in salience but were both within the tonality of the piece (in-key). Behavioral sensitivity scores (d') of both transgressions perfectly separated participants according to their level of musical expertise. By contrasting brain responses to harmonic transgressions against regular endings, functional brain imaging data showed compelling evidence for stepwise modulation of brain responses by both violation strength and expertise level in a fronto-temporal network hosting universal functions of working memory and attention. Additional independent testing evidenced an advantage in visual working memory for the professionals, which could be predicted by musical training intensity. The here introduced findings of brain plasticity demonstrate the progressive impact of musical training on cognitive brain functions that may manifest well beyond the field of music processing.

Tuning the mind: Exploring the connections between musical ability and executive functions

“…This relationship between musical ability and memory updating fits with other work showing that musicians have advantages in memory maintenance and control (George & Coch, 2011;Meinz & Hambrick, 2010;Oechslin et al, 2013;Pallesen et al, 2010) as well as with longitudinal findings of improved working memory updating abilities following a musical training program (Roden et al, 2014). One hypothesized link between working memory updating and musical experience is based on the demands of musical sight-reading (Meinz & Hambrick, 2010), however sight reading experience is unlikely to completely account for the effects found here as even those participants who self-identified as non-musicians (and so who presumably do not have experience sight reading music) showed a significant relationship between musical ability and performance on both auditory (r(44) = 0.45) and visual updating tasks (r(44) = 0.39).…”

“…In addition, it is not yet clear if musicians show advantages only in the auditory modality (e.g., Hansen et al, 2013;Strait et al, 2010;cf. Carey et al, 2015) or if musical ability is related to performance on non-auditory EF tasks as well (e.g., Bialystok & DePape, 2009;Oechslin et al, 2013).…”

“…Furthermore, primary school students in a 1.5-year music-training program improved more than a control group (natural science training) on tasks of working memory updating (counting span and complex span; Roden, Grube, Bongard, & Kreutz, 2014). Finally, there is evidence that musicians outperform non-musicians on n-back tasks (Oechslin, Van De Ville, Lazeyras, Hauert, & James, 2013; see also Pallesen et al, 2010).…”

“…While some work suggests that musician advantages in EF (and other cognitive abilities) may be limited to auditory tasks (e.g., Hansen, Wallentin, & Vuust, 2013;Strait et al, 2010;Strait, O'Connell, Parbery-Clark, & Kraus, 2014;cf. Carey et al, 2015), other studies find effects in the visual modality as well (e.g., Bialystok & DePape, 2009;Oechslin et al, 2013), but there have been few investigations using comparable auditory and visual EF tasks. Second, relevant studies have targeted a variety of populations (ranging from primary school children to elderly adults), have used a variety of experimental tasks, and have used a wide variety of criteria to distinguish musicians from non-musicians.…”

Processing structure in language and music: a case for shared reliance on cognitive control

“…Both musical and linguistic structure are processed rapidly, and unexpected structural elements in music and in language are associated with similar electrophysiological responses (Koelsch, Gunter, Wittfoth, & Sammler, 2005b;Patel, Gibson, Ratner, Besson, & Holcomb, 1998;. In addition, manipulations of harmonic structure in fMRI paradigms show effects in brain areas typically associated with linguistic syntax including (most relevant to the following discussion) left inferior frontal regions, i.e., Broca's area (Janata, Tillmann, & Bharucha, 2002;Koelsch et al, 2002;Koelsch, Fritz, Schulze, Alsop, & Schlaug, 2005a;Minati et al, 2008;Oechslin, Van De Ville, Lazeyras, Hauert, & James, 2013;Tillmann, Janata, & Bharucha, 2003;Tillmann et al, 2006;Seger et al, 2013). These inferior frontal regions have also been implicated in the processing of rhythmic structure (Vuust, Roepstorff, Wallentin, Mouridsen, & Østergaard, 2006;Vuust, Wallentin, Mouridsen, Østergaard, & Roepstorff, 2011), and both frontal and temporal regions show equal sensitivity to temporal structure in music and speech (Abrams et al, 2011).…”