Taking music lessons increases brain fiber connections in
children and may be useful in treating autism and Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), according to a study being presented next
week at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America
(RSNA).
“It’s been known that musical instruction benefits children with
these disorders,” said Pilar Dies-Suarez, M.D., chief radiologist at the
Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez in Mexico City, “but this
study has given us a better understanding of exactly how the brain
changes and where these new fiber connections are occurring.”
The researchers studied 23 healthy children between the ages of five
and six years old. All of the children were right handed and had no
history of sensory, perception or neurological disorders. None of the
children had been trained in any artistic discipline in the past.
The study participants underwent pre- and post-musical-training
evaluation with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) of the brain. DTI is an
advanced MRI technique, which identifies microstructural changes in the
brain’s white matter.
“Experiencing music at an early age can contribute to better brain
development, optimizing the creation and establishment of neural
networks, and stimulating the existing brain tracts,” Dr. Dies-Suarez
said.
The brain’s white matter is composed of millions of nerve fibers
called axons that act like communication cables connecting various
regions of the brain. Diffusion tensor imaging produces a measurement,
called fractional anisotropy (FA), of the movement of extracellular
water molecules along axons. In healthy white matter, the direction of
extracellular water molecules is fairly uniform and measures high in
fractional anisotropy. When water movement is more random, FA values
decrease, suggesting abnormalities.
Over the course of life, the maturation of brain tracts and
connections between motor, auditory and other areas allow the
development of numerous cognitive abilities, including musical skills.
Previous studies have linked autism spectrum and ADHD with decreases in
volume, fiber connections and FA in the minor and lower forceps, tracts
located in the frontal cortex of the brain. This suggests that low
connectivity in the frontal cortex, an area of the brain involved in
complex cognitive processes, is a biomarker of these disorders.
After the children in the study completed nine months of musical instruction
using Boomwhackers–percussion tubes cut to the exact length to create
pitches in a diatonic scale, DTI results showed an increase in FA and
axon fiber length in different areas of the brain, most notably in the
minor forceps.
“When a child receives musical instruction, their brains are asked to
complete certain tasks,” Dr. Dies-Suarez said. “These tasks involve
hearing, motor, cognition, emotion and social skills, which seem to
activate these different brain areas. These results may have occurred
because of the need to create more connections between the two
hemispheres of the brain.”
The researchers believe that the results of this study could aid in
creating targeted strategies for intervention in treating disorders like
autism and ADHD.
I am a professional ICT personnel, Chief System Analyst, blogger, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer at Gatmond Internationals inc. and Country Director at Wake Up For Your Right Internationals USA (Nigeria Branch).
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