Abstract
Previous neuroimaging studies have demonstrated that musical expertise leads to functional alterations in language processing. We utilized diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to investigate white matter plasticity in musicians with absolute pitch (AP), relative pitch and non-musicians. Using DTI, we analysed the fractional anisotropy (FA) of the superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF), which is considered the most primary pathway for processing and production of speech and music. In association with different levels of musical expertise, we found that AP is characterized by a greater left than right asymmetry of FA in core fibres of the SLF. A voxel-based analysis revealed three clusters within the left hemisphere SLF that showed significant positive correlations with error rates only for AP-musicians in an AP-test, but not for musicians without AP. We therefore conclude that the SLF architecture in AP musicians is related to AP acuity. In order to reconcile our observations with general aspects of development of fibre bundles, we introduce the Pioneer Axon Thesis, a theoretical approach to formalize axonal arrangements of major white matter pathways.
Highlights
The musician’s brain has attracted much attention in recent years of neuroscience research as a model for brain plasticity (Münte et al, 2002)
In association with different levels of musical expertise, we found that absolute pitch (AP) is characterized by a greater left than right asymmetry of fractional anisotropy (FA) in core fibres of the superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF)
Based on six a priori defined ROIs (3 groups × 2 hemispheres) the mean FA values were subjected to a two-way ANOVA [expertise (AP/relative pitch (RP)/NM) × hemisphere (LH/RH)] with repeated measurements on one factor and revealed significantly between-hemisphere differences as a function of musical expertise [interaction expertise × hemisphere: F(2,36) = 7.04,p < 0.01].In order to qualify this interaction we conducted subsequent post-hoc paired t-tests (p < 0.05, Bonferroni corrected) and identified that AP musicians showed a significant left-greater-than-right lateralization (t = 2.8, p = 0.016)
Summary
The musician’s brain has attracted much attention in recent years of neuroscience research as a model for brain plasticity (Münte et al, 2002). In addition to the auditory cortex, there are differences in Broca’s area, the motor cortex, the cerebellum and parts of the parietal cortex (amongst others) between musicians and NM (Elbert et al, 1995; Schlaug et al, 1995b; Sluming et al, 2002, 2007; Gaser and Schlaug, 2003; Hutchinson et al, 2003; Bangert et al, 2006) Besides these anatomical differences, numerous studies have shown that musicians process auditory and motor information differently, as indicated by neurophysiological measures (Pantev et al, 1998; Jäncke et al, 2000, 2006; Münte et al, 2002; Lotze et al, 2003; Fujioka et al, 2004, 2005; Peretz and Zatorre, 2005; Shahin et al, 2005; Koeneke et al, 2006; Baumann et al, 2007, 2008; Lappe et al, 2008; Herholz et al, 2009; Oechslin et al, 2010). A further finding is that musicians who have improved their auditory functions show improved language functions as well as more efficient processing of language (Besson et al, 2007; Marques et al, 2007; Imfeld et al, 2009; Moreno et al, 2009; Oechslin et al, 2010)
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