Researchers have demonstrated that music training changes the brain. Although it can be expected that engagement in any prolonged and specialized activity will yield cortical changes, the impact of music on the brain seems to be unique. In this MTRB post we will review some recent studies on music exposure and cortical differences.

Research studies have demonstrated that adult musicians have differences in the brain including increases in white and grey matter, connectivity, auditory processing, and motor control differences (see Wan & Schlaug, 2010). A recent study by Proverbio et al. (2013) demonstrated that musicians that began training in childhood (~8) showed bilateral activations for letter (word) processing. This was compared to controls (non musicians) that showed left-lateralized activations for word processing. This study was small (n = 30; 15 in each group; attrition of 2 due to artifacts); however, the finding that musicians completed word tasks faster, more accurately, and with the addition of right hemisphere activation is very interesting. The authors of this study make some interesting hypotheses about what this may mean for children with dyslexia.

Musicians may be better at ignoring irrelevant or distracting stimuli according to a study by Kaganovich et al. (2013). In an EEG study (N = 36), musicians (n=19) outperformed non musicians in auditory tasks with deviants. The authors suggested that the musicians better disengaged attention from distracting stimuli, possibly due to better neural encoding. This makes me wonder if musical training in therapy could help with improved auditory attention, especially in populations that have difficulty with disengagement to distracting stimuli (such as ASD).

Engagement in music in childhood may impact decline in later life, according to Metzler et al. (2013). These researchers  investigated motor a cognitive skills in adults (n=27) and older adults (n=29) with varying years of music training experience. Results indicated that the longer a person received musical training, the better they performed on a motor and cognitive task. This was regardless of what instrument they played in their musical training. These results are interesting; however, correlation is not causation. Perhaps people who seek out music playing also seek out other experiences that challenge them mentally or physically. Perhaps they were in more enriched environments in their youth. Therefore, these results must be considered with caution.

Numerous studies focused on musicians vs. non musicians are being published. This is likely due to increased interest about music processing and production. As a music therapist, these studies are interesting; however, we need more studies showing how short-term and long-term music engagement can change the brain in persons with different neurological abilities.

References:

Kaganovich, N., Kim, J., Herring, C., Schumaker, J., Macpherson, M., & Weber-Fox, C. (2013). Musicians show general enhancement of complex sound encoding and better inhibition of irrelevant auditory change in music: an ERP study. Eur J Neurosci. PMID: 23301775

Metzler, M.J., Saucier, D.M., & Metz, G.A. (2013). Enriched childhood experiences moderate age-related motor and cognitive decline. Front Behav Neurosci., 7(1). PMID: 23423702

Proverbio, A.M., Manfredi, M., Zani, A., & Adorni, R. (2013). Musical expertise affects neural bases of letter recognition. Neuropsychologia, 51(3), 538-49. PMID: 23238370

Wan, C.Y., & Schlaug, G. (2010). Music Making as a Tool for Promoting Brain Plasticity across the Life Span. The Neuroscientist, 16(5), 566-577. 58,674. PMID: 20889966