Beta‐band oscillations during passive listening to metronome sounds reflect improved timing representation after short‐term musical training in healthy older adults

Abstract

Sub-second time intervals in musical rhythms provide predictive cues about future events to performers and listeners through an internalized representation of timing. While the acuity of automatic, sub-second timing as well as cognitively controlled, supra-second timing declines with ageing, musical experts are less affected. This study investigated the influence of piano training on temporal processing abilities in older adults using behavioural and neuronal correlates. We hypothesized that neuroplastic changes in beta networks, caused by training in sensorimotor coordination with timing processing, can be assessed even in the absence of movement. Behavioural performance of internal timing stability was assessed with synchronization-continuation finger-tapping paradigms. Magnetoencephalography (MEG) was recorded from older adults before and after one month of one-on-one training. For neural measures of automatic timing processing, we focused on beta oscillations (13-30 Hz) during passive listening to metronome beats. Periodic beta-band modulations in older adults before training were similar to previous findings in young listeners at a beat interval of 800 ms. After training, behavioural performance for continuation tapping was improved and accompanied by an increased range of beat-induced beta modulation, compared to participants who did not receive training. Beta changes were observed in the caudate, auditory, sensorimotor and premotor cortices, parietal lobe, cerebellum and medial prefrontal cortex, suggesting that increased resources are involved in timing processing and goal-oriented monitoring as well as reward-based sensorimotor learning.

Audiovisual Modulation in Music Perception for Musicians and Non-musicians

“…In another study, Fujioka et al (2009) showed that a beta decrease, which usually occurs after a regular musical beat, was absent after the omission of an expected beat. Furthermore, previous research (Fujioka and Ross, 2017) also showed that, after 1 month of musical training, beta activity increases during passive listening to a metronome for older adults. Moreover, based on topographical analysis, Mikutta et al (2014) suggested that musicians, compared to amateurs, have enhanced beta activity (between 19 and 23 Hz) in central cortical areas in response to emotional music.…”

“…Findings in the current study highlight that more needs to be understood about the role of beta oscillation and visual perception. Together, these studies suggest that lower beta activity in AV perception compared to the auditory music perception for musicians might be associated with the potential involvement of beta oscillation in auditory-motor tasks, even with no intention for movement (Fujioka et al, 2009;Fujioka and Ross, 2017). This would suggest that for musicians, AV perception is modulated by activating auditory and sensory-motor, possibly also visual, networks over years of instrumental training (Trainor et al, 2009).…”

“…Some studies (Trainor et al, 2009;Bidelman et al, 2014;Bidelman, 2017) argue that musical experience may also regulate oscillatory activity, such as alpha and beta, in response to speech and non-speech stimuli. Playing a musical instrument involves sensory-motor practice (Zatorre et al, 2007), which can regulate beta activity (Fujioka and Ross, 2017). Consequently, ITPC for musicians and non-musicians in AV music will be studied to examine whether musicians, compared with nonmusicians, show greater ITPC values in auditory and lower ITPC values in AV music perception along with their N1 and P2 amplitudes in auditory and AV music perception.…”

The case for treatment fidelity in active music interventions: why and how

“…Careful measurement of the administration of treatment components is required for hypothesis testing of the mechanisms through which music treatment drives change in language skills (i.e., more broadly via the client–therapist relationship or changes driven by elements of music training that directly increase neural plasticity via shared brain networks for music language). Fujioka and Ross identified why treatment administration can be so difficult to capture in music interventions: there is an advantage to an ecologically valid method of engaging with music (like improvisational music therapy or Suzuki violin lessons) over a rigid laboratory‐based treatment in which dosage might be easier to capture. However, there are still available methods to quantify the administration of the components of a more naturalistic treatment, such that the dosage of key ingredients (hypothesized to be drivers of change) can be measured for each individual receiving treatment.…”

Contagion Effect of Music Beats on Audient Emotions

“…Any kind of emotion will be subject to the interaction of their feelings with subjective cognition. Influenced by the external world, individuals generate emotions interpreted by specific expressions and feelings, languages and behaviors (Fujioka & Ross, 2017;Trost, Frühholz, Schon et al, 2014). The music art beat exerts a great influence on the individual's behaviors such as attention, cognition, movement and memory.…”