Neuroplasticity of semantic representations for musical instruments in professional musicians

• Published in: NeuroImage (Orlando, Fla.) Fla.), 2011-06, Vol.56 (3), p.1714-1725
• Main Authors: Hoenig, Klaus, Müller, Cornelia, Herrnberger, Bärbel, Sim, Eun-Jin, Spitzer, Manfred, Ehret, Günter, Kiefer, Markus
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Analysis of Variance; Auditory cortex; Auditory Cortex - physiology; Auditory perception; Auditory Perception - physiology; Conceptual neuroplasticity; Data Interpretation, Statistical; Embodied cognition; Female; fMRI; Humans; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; Laboratories; Language; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Motor ability; Music - psychology; Musical instruments; Neuronal Plasticity - physiology; Occupations; Photic Stimulation; Semantics; Studies
• ISSN: 1053-8119; 1095-9572
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2011.02.065

Professional musicians constitute a model par excellence for understanding experience-dependent plasticity in the human brain, particularly in the auditory domain. Their intensive sensorimotor experience with musical instruments has been shown to entail plastic brain alterations in cortical perceptual and motor maps. It remains an important question whether this neuroplasticity might extend beyond basic perceptual and motor functions and even shape higher-level conceptualizations by which we conceive our physical and social world. Here we show using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) that conceptual processing of visually presented musical instruments activates auditory association cortex encompassing right posterior superior temporal gyrus, as well as adjacent areas in the superior temporal sulcus and the upper part of middle temporal gyrus (pSTG/MTG) only in musicians, but not in musical laypersons. These areas in and adjacent to auditory association cortex were not only recruited by conceptual processing of musical instruments during visual object recognition, but also by auditory perception of real sounds. Hence, the unique intensive experience of musicians with musical instruments establishes a link between auditory perceptual and conceptual brain systems. Experience-driven neuroplasticity in musicians is thus not confined to alterations of perceptual and motor maps, but even leads to the establishment of higher-level semantic representations for musical instruments in and adjacent to auditory association cortex. These findings highlight the eminent importance of sensory and motor experience for acquiring rich concepts. ► Musicians exhibit sensorimotor conceptual enrichment for musical instruments. ► Conceptual processing of musical instruments activates auditory association cortex and adjacent areas in middle temporal cortex in musicians. ► Conceptual pSTG/MTG activation anatomically overlaps with sound perception. ► Musicians exhibit experience-dependent neuroplasticity of semantic maps. ► Neuroplasticity in musicians shapes higher-level conceptualizations of the world.