Musical training has been shown to be beneficial for advanced motor skill development, inducing plasticity in the brain. Yet, little research has been done on metaplasticity in musicians, referring...Show moreMusical training has been shown to be beneficial for advanced motor skill development, inducing plasticity in the brain. Yet, little research has been done on metaplasticity in musicians, referring to synaptic stimulation allowing for faster and more stable learning later in life in the same domain. Intense exposure, training for a prolonged period, and training onset at younger age induces more plasticity. This study addressed whether these effects extend to metaplasticity by investigating the influence of three musical parameters – years of musical training, practice intensity and onset age of musical training – for varying levels of musical experience on motoric learning later in life (age 50 and up). This is done with an observational study in which 16 participants from non-musicians to professional musicians were examined. During the session, they completed a computerized pursuit-rotor task with a 180 degrees inverted mouse four times spread out over the session. In between we surveyed training intensity, duration and age of onset, among other things. Multiple regression data analysis showed no significant effects of the musical parameters on the rate of motoric learning taken over the whole learning course. Based on the obtained data, training effects on plasticity do not extend to metaplasticity. Conclusions should be made with caution, because of a small sample size and unequal distribution of participants along the scope of musical experience. Advancing our understanding of metaplastic processes can guide decision making in rehabilitation when estimating learning potential, considering motivation, and forming a treatment plan. More research could be done with different motoric tasks and on metaplasticity in other movement practices (e.g. dancing, athletics, gaming).Show less
Auditory-motor synchronization has been widely studied and applied in different settings, including rehabilitation as a means of cueing movement with sound. However, minimal emphasis has been put...Show moreAuditory-motor synchronization has been widely studied and applied in different settings, including rehabilitation as a means of cueing movement with sound. However, minimal emphasis has been put on how distinct cue types, task conditions, and individual differences in musical background influence the cued movement. To determine the extent these factors influence performance, a total of 43 healthy young-adults were recruited in a within-subjects design and were asked to tap along with their index finger to ~30 second music or metronome excerpts of 120 BPM in a single and dual tasking condition (with a working memory task). The results indicate that there is a significant difference between single and dual-task performance in music (Mdiff = 3.06, SE = 0.71, p < .001, 95% CI [1.01, 5.02]) and metronome (Mdiff = 3.99, SE = 1.18, p = .01, 95% CI [0.72, 7.26]) cues. No significant differences were found between cue types on dual-task cost, a relative measure of performance loss while dual-tasking (Z = -0.52, p = .60, r = -.08, 95% CI [-20.82, 10.64]). Finally, an average/intermediate level of musical background (measured with the Goldsmith Musical Sophistication Index) was not found to be an influencing factor on performance (F(2.14,87.57) = 1.26, p = .29, ηp2 = .03). These findings suggest that auditory-motor synchronization, once thought to be a more automatic process, is impacted while dual-tasking, indicating that cued movement performance declines when attention capacity is limited. This may have implications for movement cueing in clinical settings, where cognitive capacity is often reduced. Furthermore, the interference experienced while dual-tasking was not influenced by cue type, which may imply that music and metronome can be utilized interchangeably in similar study designs. Musical background was not found to influence performance, nonetheless, more studies are needed to measure the influence of more extreme musical abilities seeing as most participants in this study had an average level of musical skills.Show less
Many previous studies investigated what the effect of music has on cognition or executive functions (EF). Understanding this relation could prove to be beneficial for many, especially for aging...Show moreMany previous studies investigated what the effect of music has on cognition or executive functions (EF). Understanding this relation could prove to be beneficial for many, especially for aging populations or patients suffering from neurological conditions such as Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) or Major Neurocognitive Disorder (MND) by developing new treatment strategies. The existing cross-sectional literature largely points in the direction that music is positively associated with cognition and EF. This longitudinal study aimed to investigate the effect of having a history of music training and engaging in music activities on the deterioration of EF in healthy elderly people. Lifetime musical training and current activities were the hypothesized predictors; processing speed and verbal fluency were the outcome measures of EF. Age, sex, and education were included as possible confounders. With a sample of n=1185 participants, several multilevel models were estimated to observe change over a 3-year time span with two measurement points. A subsample of n=423 participants, consisting of participants that are musically active, have had previous training, and have a starting age and recency of music training was analysed subsequently. Results showed that no significant change over time was found in processing speed or verbal fluency that was related to music training and/ or current music activities when controlling for age, sex, and education. This was also the case for the subsample analyses i.e., no change over time was found. Possible explanations for this include attrition, a lack of specificity when inquiring about the extent of the music training that participants received, and a small decline in cognition to begin with. This lack of effects could imply that music simply does not influence the decline of EF in elderly people or that there is too much uncertainty in the current data.Show less
