Journal article
Musical Training and Brain Volume in Older Adults
Brain sciences, Vol.11(1), pp.1-16
01/05/2021
DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11010050
PMCID: PMC7824792
PMID: 33466337
Abstract
Musical practice, including musical training and musical performance, has been found to benefit cognitive function in older adults. Less is known about the role of musical experiences on brain structure in older adults. The present study examined the role of different types of musical behaviors on brain structure in older adults. We administered the Goldsmiths Musical Sophistication Index, a questionnaire that includes questions about a variety of musical behaviors, including performance on an instrument, musical practice, allocation of time to music, musical listening expertise, and emotional responses to music. We demonstrated that musical training, defined as the extent of musical training, musical practice, and musicianship, was positively and significantly associated with the volume of the inferior frontal cortex and parahippocampus. In addition, musical training was positively associated with volume of the posterior cingulate cortex, insula, and medial orbitofrontal cortex. Together, the present study suggests that musical behaviors relate to a circuit of brain regions involved in executive function, memory, language, and emotion. As gray matter often declines with age, our study has promising implications for the positive role of musical practice on aging brain health.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Musical Training and Brain Volume in Older Adults
- Creators
- Laura Chaddock-Heyman - Univ Illinois, Beckman Inst, Urbana, IL 61801 USAPsyche Loui - Northeastern UniversityTimothy B. Weng - The University of Texas at AustinRobert Weisshappel - University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignEdward McAuley - University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignArthur F. Kramer - Northeastern University
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Brain sciences, Vol.11(1), pp.1-16
- Publisher
- Mdpi
- DOI
- 10.3390/brainsci11010050
- PMID
- 33466337
- PMCID
- PMC7824792
- ISSN
- 2076-3425
- eISSN
- 2076-3425
- Number of pages
- 16
- Grant note
- R37 AG025667 / National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health; United States Department of Health & Human Services; National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA; NIH National Institute on Aging (NIA) Abbott Nutrition through the Center for Nutrition, Learning, and Memory at the University of Illinois
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 01/05/2021
- Academic Unit
- Psychological and Brain Sciences
- Record Identifier
- 9984627217502771
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