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Music and Brain Plasticity

Johansson, Barbro LU (2006) In European Review 14. p.49-64
Abstract
Complex and widespread activation in many brain areas is seen while performing, listening or mentally imaging music, activity that varies with training, previous exposure, personal preference, emotional involvement and many other factors. Playing a musical instrument demands extensive motor and cognitive abilities, and early musical learning results in plastic reorganization of the developing brain – one example being the increased cortical representation area for the left little finger in (right-handed) string-players, which correlates with age at the start of training. Even though the developing brain has the most pronounced changes, the adult healthy brain has a considerable plasticity. Conductors have superior spatial tuning compared... (More)
Complex and widespread activation in many brain areas is seen while performing, listening or mentally imaging music, activity that varies with training, previous exposure, personal preference, emotional involvement and many other factors. Playing a musical instrument demands extensive motor and cognitive abilities, and early musical learning results in plastic reorganization of the developing brain – one example being the increased cortical representation area for the left little finger in (right-handed) string-players, which correlates with age at the start of training. Even though the developing brain has the most pronounced changes, the adult healthy brain has a considerable plasticity. Conductors have superior spatial tuning compared with non-musicians and pianists. Attentive listening to music for as little as three hours can temporarily alter the auditory cortex. Interactions between genetic predisposition, environment and training play a role in music as in other areas. It has been proposed that musical training may improve other cognitive functions. There is some evidence that this may be the case but it is an area that needs further exploration. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
European Review
volume
14
pages
49 - 64
publisher
Cambridge University Press
external identifiers
  • scopus:30544431873
ISSN
1474-0575
DOI
10.1017/S1062798706000056
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
01e704d5-3d23-486c-a918-351bb17e0b5e (old id 1136571)
date added to LUP
2016-04-04 11:09:48
date last changed
2022-01-29 21:25:39
@article{01e704d5-3d23-486c-a918-351bb17e0b5e,
  abstract     = {{Complex and widespread activation in many brain areas is seen while performing, listening or mentally imaging music, activity that varies with training, previous exposure, personal preference, emotional involvement and many other factors. Playing a musical instrument demands extensive motor and cognitive abilities, and early musical learning results in plastic reorganization of the developing brain – one example being the increased cortical representation area for the left little finger in (right-handed) string-players, which correlates with age at the start of training. Even though the developing brain has the most pronounced changes, the adult healthy brain has a considerable plasticity. Conductors have superior spatial tuning compared with non-musicians and pianists. Attentive listening to music for as little as three hours can temporarily alter the auditory cortex. Interactions between genetic predisposition, environment and training play a role in music as in other areas. It has been proposed that musical training may improve other cognitive functions. There is some evidence that this may be the case but it is an area that needs further exploration.}},
  author       = {{Johansson, Barbro}},
  issn         = {{1474-0575}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{49--64}},
  publisher    = {{Cambridge University Press}},
  series       = {{European Review}},
  title        = {{Music and Brain Plasticity}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S1062798706000056}},
  doi          = {{10.1017/S1062798706000056}},
  volume       = {{14}},
  year         = {{2006}},
}