Electrical Neuroimaging of Music Processing Reveals Mid-Latency Changes with Level of Musical Expertise

Abstract

This original research focused on the effect of musical training intensity on cerebral and behavioral processing of complex music using high-density event-related potential (ERP) approaches. Recently we have been able to show progressive changes with training in gray and white matter, and higher order brain functioning using (f)MRI [(functional) Magnetic Resonance Imaging], as well as changes in musical and general cognitive functioning. The current study investigated the same population of non-musicians, amateur pianists and expert pianists using spatio-temporal ERP analysis, by means of microstate analysis, and ERP source imaging. The stimuli consisted of complex musical compositions containing three levels of transgression of musical syntax at closure that participants appraised. ERP waveforms, microstates and underlying brain sources revealed gradual differences according to musical expertise in a 300–500 ms window after the onset of the terminal chords of the pieces. Within this time-window, processing seemed to concern context-based memory updating, indicated by a P3b-like component or microstate for which underlying sources were localized in the right middle temporal gyrus, anterior cingulate and right parahippocampal areas. Given that the 3 expertise groups were carefully matched for demographic factors, these results provide evidence of the progressive impact of training on brain and behavior.

Electrical Neuroimaging of Music Processing in Pianists With and Without True Absolute Pitch

“…The present study applied electrical neuroimaging to investigate the influence of true absolute pitch on processing of complex classical music in pianists trained in the western classical repertoire. The research is a follow-up of 3 previous studies that showed progressive processing changes with musical training intensity and proficiency using the same musical stimuli (Oechslin et al, 2013 ; James et al, 2017 ; Jenni et al, 2017 ) and allows to answer the question whether true-absolute pitch offers additional advantages for music processing.…”

“…The musical stimuli were short expressive pieces for string quartet with 3 levels of harmonic transgression at closure that participants appraised, presented while high density EEG was recorded. We previously used these stimuli successfully to show the impact of different levels of musical training intensity on brain and behavioral responses using fMRI (Oechslin et al, 2013 ) and EEG (James et al, 2017 ), also exclusively in pianists. Both the fMRI and the EEG study results disclosed progressive changes in music processing as a function of musical training intensity and proficiency.…”

Persistent Effects of Musical Training on Mathematical Skills of Children With Developmental Dyscalculia

“…Due to this multimodal characteristic, music intervention has the potential to change brain architecture that might be accompanied by cognitive changes. Although neuroanatomy (gross morphology of auditory cortex) has been shown to be extremely stable from childhood to adolescence in a longitudinal study (Seither-Preisler et al, 2014), other studies observed changes related to brain activation, as assessed by functional magnetic resonance imaging (Oechslin et al, 2013), electroencephalography (James et al, 2017), neural connectivity measured by diffusion tensor imaging (Moore et al, 2014), and cortical thickness (Hudziak et al, 2014).…”

Steady-state evoked potentials distinguish brain mechanisms of self-paced versus synchronization finger tapping

“…Even though EEG source estimation has been applied successfully in various clinical and fundamental studies (e.g. Britz, Landis, & Michel, 2009;Corrigan et al, 2009;De Pretto, Rochat, & Spierer, 2017;Geukes et al, 2013;James, Britz, Vuilleumier, Hauert, & Michel, 2008;James et al, 2012;James, Oechslin, Michel, & De Pretto, 2017;Rihs et al, 2013;Sallard et al, 2014), such method only guarantees a 1-2 cm spatial accuracy (Martuzzi et al, 2009;Plomp, Michel, & Herzog, 2010).…”