Music and Visual Art Training Increase Auditory-Evoked Theta Oscillations in Older Adults

Abstract

Music training was shown to induce changes in auditory processing in older adults. However, most findings stem from correlational studies and fewer examine long-term sustainable benefits. Moreover, research shows small and variable changes in auditory event-related potential (ERP) amplitudes and/or latencies in older adults. Conventional time domain analysis methods, however, are susceptible to latency jitter in evoked responses and may miss important information of brain processing. Here, we used time-frequency analyses to examine training-related changes in auditory-evoked oscillatory activity in healthy older adults (N = 50) assigned to a music training (n = 16), visual art training (n = 17), or a no-treatment control (n = 17) group. All three groups were presented with oddball auditory paradigms with synthesized piano tones or vowels during the acquisition of high-density EEG. Neurophysiological measures were collected at three-time points: pre-training, post-training, and at a three-month follow-up. Training programs were administered for 12-weeks. Increased theta power was found pre and post- training for the music (p = 0.010) and visual art group (p = 0.010) as compared to controls (p = 0.776) and maintained at the three-month follow-up. Results showed training-related plasticity on auditory processing in aging adults. Neuroplastic changes were maintained three months post-training, suggesting music and visual art programs yield lasting benefits that might facilitate encoding, retention, and memory retrieval.

Assessing Cognitive Functions Remotely Using a Music-Game-Like Program

“…For example, older musicians perform better than non-musicians in several perceptual and cognitive tasks, including speech in noise perception (Zendel & Alain, 2012), concurrent sound segregation (Zendel & Alain, 2013), phonemic fluency, verbal working memory, immediate recall, visuospatial judgment, motor dexterity (Hanna-Pladdy & Gajewski, 2012), and inhibitory control (Moussard et al, 2016; Tremblay & Perron, 2023). Evidence also suggests that short-term musical training (e.g., piano lessons) can improve working memory and other executive functions (Alain et al, 2019; Bugos et al, 2022). Altogether, this indicates that engaging in musical activities at any stage of life can have significant cognitive benefits.…”

Influence of Multimodal Emotional Stimulations on Brain Activity: An Electroencephalographic Study

“…Klasen et al [ 20 ] found that emotional information processing in multimodal environments is highly integrated, with interactions and regulatory effects between different sensory channels. Additionally, Bugos et al [ 21 ] used EEG to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying auditory processing and found that theta oscillations in the auditory cortex are modulated by musical features. Zimmer et al [ 22 ] found that emotional cues presented in multiple sensory modalities can improve visual attention.…”