The brain and musical training
Taking an even closer look, we will look at the composition of the cortex (Fig. 3). The cortex is the name for the surface of the cerebrum and is composed of many folds called gyrus with grooves called sulcus. The folded shape is to increase the surface area of the brain in order to increase neuron density. Within the cortex lies grey matter (GM): grey due to a high concentration of neuronal cell bodies, and white matter (WM): white given by the myelin which surrounds the axons of the neurons. WM connects the different cells together and the myelin sheath helps speed up the signal. 3 GM, on the other hand, is similar to a processing centre: controlling motion, emotions and memory. Figure 3: The Cortex ( https://mayfieldclinic.com/pe-anatbrain.htm )
Differences between a musician and non-musician
We should start by highlighting the major differences between a musician and non-musician, at an adult age. C. Gaser and G. Schlaug performed an investigation in 2003 to find if there was a relationship between GM volume and varying levels of musical proficiency. They had 3 groups of participants: 20 professional musicians, 20 amateur musicians and 40 non-musicians. All musicians were keyboard players, right-hand dominant and male. Verbal IQ was assessed, and all the participants were in their early twenties. The test’s aim was to find structural differences (in GM and WM volume) as opposed to how the brain operates under different conditions. It should be noted that there were no observable differences in WM volume; the team speculates that it was due to unsuitable methods.
Figure 4: The graph above shows the relative differences in grey matter volume between the three test groups in three selected regions: the left precentral gyrus (PrecG L), left Heschl's gyrus (HG L), and right superior parietal cortex (SPC R). The data obtained are within a spherical region of interest centred at the local maximal difference with an 8mm radius. 4
They were, however, able to find a very strong correlation between increase in GM volume with status of musicianship (Fig. 4). The most prominent differences were found in the motor, auditory, visual-
3 Balm, J. The subway of the brain - Why white matter matters http://blogs.biomedcentral.com/on- biology/2014/03/14/the-subway-of-the-brain-why-white-matter-matters ( 05/07/20 ). 4 Taken from: https://www.jneurosci.org/content/23/27/9240.full.
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