Effects of musical training on speech-induced modulation in corticospinal excitability.

Full Abstract

We investigated the effect of previous musical training on lateralization of language as indexed by the effects of reading aloud on the modulation of motor evoked potentials (MEPs) induced in the first dorsal interosseus muscles (FDI) by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) of the primary motor cortex. We studied 13 right-handed subjects, seven musicians who had been playing a musical instrument for >10 years and six controls who had never studied a musical instrument. In all subjects, the amplitude of MEPs in the right FDI was facilitated by reading aloud. However, the musicians also showed significant facilitation in the left FDI, while controls did not. These results illustrate striking effects of musical training on lateralization of motor and language functions.

Author information

Author/s: Lin, Kuang-Lin (KL); Kobayashi, Masahito (M); Pascual-Leone, Alvaro (A);

Affiliation: Laboratory for Magnetic Brain Stimulation, Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, 330 Brookline Avenue, KS 454, Boston, MA 02215, USA.

Grants: R01EY12091 (Agency:NEI NIH HHS) ; R01MH57980 (Agency:NIMH NIH HHS) ; R01MH60734 (Agency:NIMH NIH HHS)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

Journal: Neuroreport (Neuroreport), published in England. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2002-May; vol 13 (issue 6) : pp 899-902

Dates: Created 2002/05/08; Completed 2002/06/26; Revised 2007/11/14;

PMID: 11997710, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 2/18/2009, IMS Date: )

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