Frontoparietal network topology as a neural marker of musical perceptual abilities

M. Lumaca, P. E. Keller, G. Baggio, V. Pando-Naude, C. J. Bajada, M. A. Martinez, J. H. Hansen, A. Ravignani, N. Joe, P. Vuust, K. Vulić & K. Sandberg
Nature Communications volume 15, Article number: 8160 (2024) 

Through a comprehensive dataset of MRI, cognitive, and musical data (from more than 200 individuals), the study demonstrates that people's differences in musical perception are linked to how specific regions of the brain—mainly those involved in working memory—are “wired” and how efficiently they communicate. This work rides the wave of the growing momentum in "neural fingerprinting" human behavior. The study suggest potential implications for understanding the neurobiological roots of music diversity.

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Abstract:

Why are some individuals more musical than others? Neither cognitive testing nor classical localizationist neuroscience alone can provide a complete answer. Here, we test how the interplay of brain network organization and cognitive function delivers graded perceptual abilities in a distinctively human capacity. We analyze multimodal magnetic resonance imaging, cognitive, and behavioral data from 200+ participants, focusing on a canonical working memory network encompassing prefrontal and posterior parietal regions. Using graph theory, we examine structural and functional frontoparietal network organization in relation to assessments of musical aptitude and experience. Results reveal a positive correlation between perceptual abilities and the integration efficiency of key frontoparietal regions. The linkage between functional networks and musical abilities is mediated by working memory processes, whereas structural networks influence these abilities through sensory integration. Our work lays the foundation for future investigations into the neurobiological roots of individual differences in musicality.

Read full article in Nature Communications at:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-52479-z

Data for the study were acquired across multiple sessions at Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital from healthy individuals as part of the EU COST Action CA18106 The Neural Architecture of Consciousness.

COST Action CA18106 (https://www.cost.eu/actions/CA18106/) is an international collaboration focused on gathering and analysing large-scale brain scan (MRI) data and relating it to consciousness and other cognitive/perceptual phenomena.

Contact
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Associate Professor Massimo Lumaca
Center for Music in the Brain (MIB), Aarhus University
Email: massimo.lumacca@clin.au.dk
https://pure.au.dk/portal/en/persons/massimo.lumaca%40clin.au.dk

Associate Professor Kristian Sandberg
Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience (CFIN), Aarhus University
Email: kristian.sandberg@cfin.au.dk
https://pure.au.dk/portal/da/persons/kristian.sandberg@cfin.au.dk