Frontoparietal network topology as a neural marker of musical perceptual abilities.
Massimo LumacaPeter Erik KellerGiosue BaggioVictor Pando-NaudeClaude J BajadaM A MartinezJ H HansenA RavignaniN JoeP VuustK VulićKristian SandbergPublished in: Nature communications (2024)
Why are some individuals more musical than others? Neither cognitive testing nor classical localizationist neuroscience alone can provide a complete answer. Here, we test how the interplay of brain network organization and cognitive function delivers graded perceptual abilities in a distinctively human capacity. We analyze multimodal magnetic resonance imaging, cognitive, and behavioral data from 200+ participants, focusing on a canonical working memory network encompassing prefrontal and posterior parietal regions. Using graph theory, we examine structural and functional frontoparietal network organization in relation to assessments of musical aptitude and experience. Results reveal a positive correlation between perceptual abilities and the integration efficiency of key frontoparietal regions. The linkage between functional networks and musical abilities is mediated by working memory processes, whereas structural networks influence these abilities through sensory integration. Our work lays the foundation for future investigations into the neurobiological roots of individual differences in musicality.
Keyphrases
- working memory
- transcranial direct current stimulation
- magnetic resonance imaging
- attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
- endothelial cells
- genome wide
- computed tomography
- magnetic resonance
- electronic health record
- machine learning
- multiple sclerosis
- chronic pain
- current status
- convolutional neural network
- resting state
- deep learning
- high frequency
- induced pluripotent stem cells
- single cell
- contrast enhanced