Gray matter density and white matter integrity in pianists' brain: a combined structural and diffusion tensor MRI study

Neurosci Lett. 2009 Jul 31;459(1):3-6. doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2008.07.056. Epub 2008 Jul 24.

Abstract

The current study combined structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) and diffusion tensor MRI (DT-MRI) to investigate both gray matter density (GMD) and white matter integrity (WMI) in 18 pianists and 21 age-matched non-musicians. The pianists began their piano training at a mean age of 12. Voxel-based morphometry of the sMRI data showed that the pianists had higher GMD in the left primary sensorimotor cortex and right cerebellum. Voxel-based analysis of the DT-MRI data showed that pianists had higher fractional anisotropy (FA) (indicating higher WMI) in the right posterior limb of the internal capsule. The sMRI and DT-MRI results indicate that both the GMD and WMI of pianists may exhibit movement-related increases during adolescence or even early adulthood compared with non-musicians.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adolescent Development
  • Adult
  • Anisotropy
  • Brain / anatomy & histology*
  • Brain / growth & development
  • Cerebellum / anatomy & histology
  • Cerebellum / growth & development
  • Cerebral Cortex / anatomy & histology
  • Cerebral Cortex / growth & development
  • Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Imaging, Three-Dimensional
  • Internal Capsule / anatomy & histology
  • Internal Capsule / growth & development
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Male
  • Music*
  • Nerve Fibers, Myelinated
  • Young Adult