Individual differences in aesthetic engagement are reflected in resting-state fMRI connectivity: Implications for stress resilience

Williams, Paula; Johnson, Kimberley T.; Curtis, Brian; King, Jace B.; Anderson, Jeffrey S.

doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.06.042

Cited by 29 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 79 publications

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“…Musical training has been associated with increased functional connectivity of the salience network (Luo et al, 2014) as well as increased executive functioning (Moreno et al, 2011) and heightened activity in the ECN (Sachs et al, 2017). Moreover, default mode activity has been associated with diverse musical behaviors, including the tracking of musical tonality (Janata et al, 2002), associating music with autobiographical memories (Janata, 2009), and the aesthetic response to music (Williams et al, 2018). Considering this, it is possible that differences in the functional connectivity profiles of improvisational musicians could be a result of general musical training rather than improvisational training in particular.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improvising at Rest: Differentiating Jazz and Classical Music Training with Resting State Functional Connectivity

Belden

Zeng

Przysinda

et al. 2019

Preprint

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Jazz improvisation offers a model for creative cognition, as it involves the real-time creation of a novel, information-rich product. Previous research has shown that when musicians improvise, they recruit regions in the Default Mode Network (DMN) and Executive Control Network (ECN). Here, we ask whether these findings from task-fMRI studies might extend to intrinsic differences in resting state functional connectivity. We compared Improvising musicians, Classical musicians, and Minimally Musically Trained (MMT) controls in seed-based functional connectivity and network analyses in resting state functional MRI. We also examined the functional correlates of behavioral performance in musical improvisation and divergent thinking. Seed-based analysis consistently showed higher connectivity in ventral DMN (vDMN) and bilateral ECN in both groups of musically trained individuals as compared to MMT controls, with additional group differences in primary visual network, precuneus network, and posterior salience network. In particular, primary visual network connectivity to DMN and ECN was highest in Improvisational musicians, whereas within-network connectivity of vDMN and precuneus network was higher in both Improvisational and Classical musicians than in MMT controls; in contrast, connectivity between posterior salience network and superior parietal lobule was highest in Classical musicians. Furthermore, graph-theoretical analysis indicated heightened betweenness centrality, clustering, and local efficiency in Classical musicians. Taken together, results suggest that heightened functional connectivity among musicians can be explained by higher within-network connectivity (more tight-knit cortical networks) in Classical musicians, as opposed to more disperse, globally-connected cortical networks in Improvisational musicians. Highlights• Music training is associated with higher resting state connectivity • Higher connectivity in Improvisational musicians from visual network to ECN and DMN • Classical musicians show higher vDMN and Precuneus within-network connectivity • Improvisation and divergent thinking performance correlate with similar connectivity patterns

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improvising at Rest: Differentiating Jazz and Classical Music Training with Resting State Functional Connectivity

Belden

Zeng

Przysinda

et al. 2019

Preprint

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“…Given preliminary evidence for a moderate heritability of within effective DMN connectivity (Xu et al, 2017), and the role of DMN and salience and sensory networks connectivity in feeling intense aesthetic experiences (Williams et al, 2018), it is possible to speculate that the shared heritability as found in this study can be explained by genetic contribution on brain network connectivity as well.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 61%

“…While there are certain stimuli that on average elicit more or less aesthetic appraisal, such as particular faces (Vessel et al, 2018;Vessel & Rubin, 2010), or more general biological stimuli (Zeki et al, 2018), previous research suggested that the intensity of such aesthetic experiences shows substantial individual differences (Skov, 2019a). Additionally, preliminary evidence suggests that individual differences in functional brain connectivity account for part of the intensity of aesthetic experiences (Williams et al, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shared and Distinct Genetic Sources of Variability in Visual Aesthetic Value

Bignardi¹,

Lf²,

Smit³

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Visual aesthetic experiences are universally shared and uniquely diversified components of every human culture. The contribution of genetic and environmental factors to variation in aesthetic appraisal has rarely been examined. Here, we analysed variation in the intensity of aesthetic appraisal in 558 monozygotic and 216 dizygotic same sex adult twin pairs when they were presented with three kinds of visual stimuli: abstract objects, sceneries, and faces. We estimated twin resemblance and heritability for the three stimuli types, as well as a shared genetic factor between the three stimuli types. Genetic factors played a moderate role in the variation of intensity of aesthetic appraisal (heritability 26 to 41%). Both shared and unique underlying genetic factors significantly accounted for domain-general and domain-specific differences. Our findings are the first to show the extent to which variation in the intensity of aesthetic experiences result from the contribution of genetic and environmental factors.

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“…use the model, at the macro-scale, to provide a more general explanation as to how an interneuron-deficit disorder may have opened an unexplored avenue that led to abstract art. We use recent results in the neuroscience of art that have demonstrated the central role of the DMN in intense esthetic experiences ( 44 – 46 ). We then construct a qualitative argument to explain how a dysfunctional relationship between the DMN and visual cortices may actually fuse the artistic (internal) and the esthetic (external) aspects of perception that result in an experience consistent with the creation of abstract art.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A GABA Interneuron Deficit Model of the Art of Vincent van Gogh

et al. 2020

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Vincent van Gogh was one of the most influential artists of the Western world, having shaped the post-impressionist art movement by shifting its boundaries forward into abstract expressionism. His distinctive style, which was not valued by the art-buying public during his lifetime, is nowadays one of the most sought after. However, despite the great deal of attention from academic and artistic circles, one important question remains open: was van Gogh's original style a visual manifestation distinct from his troubled mind, or was it in fact a by-product of an impairment that resulted from the psychiatric illness that marred his entire life? In this paper, we use a previously published multi-scale model of brain function to piece together a number of disparate observations about van Gogh's life and art. In particular, we first quantitatively analyze the brushwork of his large production of self-portraits using the image autocorrelation and demonstrate a strong association between the contrasts in the paintings, the occurrence of psychiatric symptoms, and his simultaneous use of absinthe-a strong liquor known to affect gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) alpha receptors. Secondly, we propose that van Gogh suffered from a defective function of parvalbumin interneurons, which seems likely given his family history of schizophrenia and his addiction to substances associated with GABA action. This could explain the need for the artist to increasingly amplify the contrasts in his brushwork as his disease progressed, as well as his tendency to merge esthetic and personal experiences into a new form of abstraction.

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Individual differences in aesthetic engagement are reflected in resting-state fMRI connectivity: Implications for stress resilience

Cited by 29 publications

References 79 publications

Improvising at Rest: Differentiating Jazz and Classical Music Training with Resting State Functional Connectivity

Improvising at Rest: Differentiating Jazz and Classical Music Training with Resting State Functional Connectivity

Shared and Distinct Genetic Sources of Variability in Visual Aesthetic Value

A GABA Interneuron Deficit Model of the Art of Vincent van Gogh

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