Abstract
Music training can improve cognitive functions. Previous studies have shown that children and adults with music training demonstrate better verbal learning and memory performance than those without such training. Although prior studies have shown an association between music training and changes in the structural and functional organization of the brain, there is no concrete evidence of the underlying neural correlates of the verbal memory encoding phase involved in such enhanced memory performance. Therefore, we carried out an electroencephalography (EEG) study to investigate how music training was associated with brain activity during the verbal memory encoding phase. Sixty participants were recruited, 30 of whom had received music training for at least one year (the MT group) and 30 of whom had never received music training (the NMT group). The participants in the two groups were matched for age, education, gender distribution, and cognitive capability. Their verbal and visual memory functions were assessed using standardized neuropsychological tests and EEG was used to record their brain activity during the verbal memory encoding phase. Consistent with previous studies, the MT group demonstrated better verbal memory than the NMT group during both the learning and the delayed recall trials in the paper-and-pencil tests. The MT group also exhibited greater learning capacity during the learning trials. Compared with the NMT group, the MT group showed an increase in long-range left and right intrahemispheric EEG coherence in the theta frequency band during the verbal memory encoding phase. In addition, their event-related left intrahemispheric theta coherence was positively associated with subsequent verbal memory performance as measured by discrimination scores. These results suggest that music training may modulate the cortical synchronization of the neural networks involved in verbal memory formation.
Highlights
IntroductionFunctional [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14] and structural [14,15,16,17,18,19] neuroimaging studies investigating the link between music training and brain plasticity have suggested that music training are associated functional and structural modifications in the human brain and changes in cognitive functions
Compared with the NMT group, the MT group showed an increase in long-range left and right intrahemispheric EEG coherence in the theta frequency band during the verbal memory encoding phase. Their eventrelated left intrahemispheric theta coherence was positively associated with subsequent verbal memory performance as measured by discrimination scores. These results suggest that music training may modulate the cortical synchronization of the neural networks involved in verbal memory formation
Music training may have a differential effect on brain plasticity and cognitive development depending on the age of commencement [14, 19,20,21]
Summary
Functional [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14] and structural [14,15,16,17,18,19] neuroimaging studies investigating the link between music training and brain plasticity have suggested that music training are associated functional and structural modifications in the human brain and changes in cognitive functions. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), Pallesen et al [1] found greater blood oxygenation-level dependent (BOLD) activation in the right lateral prefrontal cortex, lateral parietal cortex, insula, and putamen of musicians during working memory tasks with musical sounds, compared with non-musicians These regions form neuronal networks that mediate sustained attention and cognitive control. Groussard et al [5] revealed greater gray matter density in the hippocampus, an area important for memory processing, in individuals with music training than in those without These functional and structural brain alterations are associated with the intensity and duration of music practice, that is, the more music practice, the stronger the neuronal changes [20]. Music training may have a differential effect on brain plasticity and cognitive development depending on the age of commencement [14, 19,20,21]
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