Matziorinis Anna Maria, Leemans Alexander, Skouras Stavros, Flo Birthe Kristin, Bashevkin Tobias, Koelsch Stefan
Institute of Biological and Medical Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
Image Sciences Institute, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands.
Imaging Neurosci (Camb). 2024 Aug 5;2. doi: 10.1162/imag_a_00248. eCollection 2024.
Music's role in modulating brain structure, particularly in neurodegenerative contexts such as Alzheimer's Disease (AD), has been increasingly recognized. While previous studies have hinted at the potential neuroplastic benefits of musical engagement and training, the mechanisms through which music impacts structural connectivity in neurodegenerative pathways remain underexplored. We aimed to examine the impact of music perception skills, active musical engagement, and musical training on structural connectivity in areas relating to memory, emotion, and learning in individuals with worsening memory impairment, investigating the potential neuroplastic effects of music. Employing diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) based structural connectivity and graph theoretical analysis, we investigated brain topological features in 78 participants aged 42 to 85 with a range of memory impairments. Participants were assessed for musical training, engagement, and perception skills. The study analyzed regional and local network topological metrics to examine the influence of musical activities on graph metrics, while controlling for stages of objective memory impairment (SOMI) and diagnosis, separately. This study aimed to elucidate the effects of musical perception skills, active musical engagement, and musical training on structural connectivity within memory, emotion, and learning-related brain areas in individuals with varying degrees of memory impairment. We found enhanced structural connectivity of the right hippocampus and the right posterior cingulate cortex was associated with stronger local network metrics, such as clustering coefficient and betweenness centrality, with increased music perception skills like melody and beat perception. Musical training specifically impacted the clustering coefficient of the right hippocampus and the node degree of the right mid cingulate gyrus. Active musical engagement influenced the eigenvector centrality of the right hippocampus. Furthermore, musical training was associated with enhanced global metrics, such as global efficiency and characteristic path length. Our study integrates diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and graph theoretical analysis to reveal significant effects of musical activities on structural connectivity in key brain regions. The results highlight the potential of musical activities to serve as a non-invasive modulatory tool for cognitive resilience, especially in memory impairment and neurodegeneration contexts. These insights contribute to the understanding of delaying AD onset and aiding early-stage patients through music-based interventions, emphasizing the importance of musical engagement in maintaining cognitive and brain health.
音乐在调节大脑结构方面的作用，尤其是在诸如阿尔茨海默病（AD）等神经退行性疾病背景下，已越来越受到认可。虽然先前的研究已暗示音乐参与和训练可能具有神经可塑性益处，但音乐影响神经退行性通路中结构连通性的机制仍未得到充分探索。我们旨在研究音乐感知技能、积极的音乐参与和音乐训练对记忆减退个体中与记忆、情感和学习相关区域的结构连通性的影响，探究音乐潜在的神经可塑性效应。利用基于扩散张量成像（DTI）的结构连通性和图论分析，我们研究了78名年龄在42至85岁之间、存在一系列记忆障碍的参与者的脑拓扑特征。对参与者的音乐训练、参与度和感知技能进行了评估。该研究分析了区域和局部网络拓扑指标，以检验音乐活动对图指标的影响，同时分别控制客观记忆损害阶段（SOMI）和诊断情况。本研究旨在阐明音乐感知技能、积极的音乐参与和音乐训练对不同程度记忆减退个体中与记忆、情感和学习相关脑区的结构连通性的影响。我们发现，右侧海马体和右侧后扣带回皮质结构连通性的增强与更强的局部网络指标相关，如聚类系数和中介中心性，这与旋律和节拍感知等音乐感知技能的提高有关。音乐训练特别影响右侧海马体的聚类系数和右侧中扣带回的节点度。积极的音乐参与影响右侧海马体的特征向量中心性。此外，音乐训练与增强的全局指标相关，如全局效率和特征路径长度。我们的研究整合了扩散磁共振成像（MRI）和图论分析，以揭示音乐活动对关键脑区结构连通性的显著影响。结果突出了音乐活动作为认知恢复力的非侵入性调节工具的潜力，尤其是在记忆障碍和神经退行性疾病背景下。这些见解有助于理解通过基于音乐的干预措施延迟AD发病并帮助早期患者，强调了音乐参与在维持认知和大脑健康方面的重要性。
