Training‐induced Neuroplasticity in Young Children

Abstract

As the main interhemispheric fiber tract, the corpus callosum (CC) is of particular importance for musicians who simultaneously engage parts of both hemispheres to process and play music. Professional musicians who began music training before the age of 7 years have larger anterior CC areas than do nonmusicians, which suggests that plasticity due to music training may occur in the CC during early childhood. However, no study has yet demonstrated that the increased CC area found in musicians is due to music training rather than to preexisting differences. We tested the hypothesis that approximately 29 months of instrumental music training would cause a significant increase in the size of particular subareas of the CC known to have fibers that connect motorrelated areas of both hemispheres. On the basis of total weekly practice time, a sample of 31 children aged 5-7 was divided into three groups: high-practicing, low-practicing, and controls. No CC size differences were seen at base line, but differences emerged after an average of 29 months of observation in the high-practicing group in the anterior midbody of the CC (which connects premotor and supplementary motor areas of the two hemispheres). Total weekly music exposure predicted degree of change in this subregion of the CC as well as improvement on a motorsequencing task. Our results show that it is intense musical experience/practice, not preexisting differences, that is responsible for the larger anterior CC area found in professional adult musicians.

Melodic sound enhances visual awareness of congruent musical notes, but only if you can read music

“…It has been suggested that musicians exhibit distinct auditory (42,43), verbal (44), and broad cognitive (45) abilities and/or systems. In particular, musical training, whether singing or playing an instrument, requires developing perception-action coordination, which may promote unusually strong connections between perception and action systems in the brain (46,47).…”

Differential Adaptation of Descending Motor Tracts in Musicians

“…Previous studies comparing musicians with nonmusicians yielded contradictory results with regard to FA values in corticospinal motor tracts, and none of the studies related diffusivity measures to motor performance measures (Schmithorst and Wilke 2002;Bengtsson et al 2005;Han et al 2009;Imfeld et al 2009). Studies examining neural effects of long-term instrumental music practice have been complemented by studies showing white matter plasticity in response to the acquisition of other nonmusical sensorimotor skills (Scholz et al 2009;Hanggi et al 2010;Landi et al 2011) as well as in response to recovery from neurological disorders (Schlaug et al 2009;Wrigley et al 2009;Lindenberg et al 2010;Granziera et al 2012;Keil et al 2012;Zipse et al 2012) or neural effects of immobilization (Langer et al 2012). …”

Improving Pragmatics in Nonverbal Children with Autism Using Melodic Based Communication Therapy

“…Appropriate interventions should target social language as well as receptive/expressive language and imitative abilities. Research supports right hemispherical strengths in children with autism as well as improvement in corpus callosum function with exposure to music [18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26]. Therefore, the implementation of therapy techniques employing the use of melody and rhythm, right hemisphere tasks, may be helpful for this population.…”