Neuroplasticity, music, and human brain

Irina N. Bogolepova; Боголепова Ирина Николаевна; Marina V. Krotenkova; Кротенкова Марина Викторовна; Rodion N. Konovalov; Коновалов Родион Николаевич; Pavel A. Agapov; Агапов Павел Алексеевич; Irina G. Malofeeva; Малофеева Ирина Григорьевна; Alexander T. Bikmeev; Бикмеев Александр Тимерзянович

doi:10.54101/ACEN.2024.1.8

Neuroplasticity, music, and human brain

Authors: Bogolepova I.N.¹, Krotenkova M.V.¹, Konovalov R.N.¹, Agapov P.A.¹, Malofeeva I.G.¹, Bikmeev A.T.²
Affiliations:
1. Research Center of Neurology
2. Bashkir State Medical University
Issue: Vol 18, No 1 (2024)
Pages: 72-78
Section: Original articles
URL: https://journals.rcsi.science/2075-5473/article/view/255207
DOI: https://doi.org/10.54101/ACEN.2024.1.8
ID: 255207

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Abstract

Introduction. Studying the influence of music on the human brain is one of the key topics in neuroscience as it allows extending our understanding of brain neuroplasticity.

This study aimed to investigate structural brain organization in professional musicians.

Materials and methods. We investigated 27 brains (i.e. 54 hemispheres) of male musicians, female musicians, male non-musicians, and female non-musicians by magnetic resonance imaging. All study participants were aged 20 to 30 years and did not have any mental or neurological disorders. Gray matter volume and cortex thickness in different cortical structures of the right and left hemispheres were measured.

Results. We found major changes in the brain structure in professional musicians (both male and female) vs. non-musicians. We found differences in the macroscopic structure of the triangular region in the Broca’s motor speech area in musicians’ brain. Increases in gray matter volume in the brain of musicians and its individual cortical structures were shown in the superior temporal region, Broca’s motor speech area, hippocampus, superior parietal lobule, and other structures. We found increased thickness of cortical structures in musicians vs. non-musicians.

Conclusions. Practicing music regularly was shown to change structural brain organization; we found significant increases in gray matter volume and cortex thickness in various cortical structures in the right and left brain hemispheres of musicians vs. non-musicians.

Keywords

brain, male, female, music, cortical structures

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Cand. Sci. (Phys.-Math.), Head, Laboratory of mathematical modeling, Institute of Fundamental Medicine

Russian Federation, Ufa

References

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2. Fig. 1. Structure of Broca’s area in the brain of a female musician, LH. Triangular region is shown in green; opercular region is shown in blue.

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3. Fig. 2. Structure of Broca’s area in the brain of a female non-musician, LH. Triangular region is shown in green; opercular region is shown in blue.