Plasticity

In a broad sense, plasticity can be defined as the capacity to change. The term is frequently used in the field of neuroscience to describe changes in the central nervous system as a result of experience or adaptation to environmental demands. In this context, the prefix “neuro-” is often added to the word plasticity. Neuroplasticity can occur in both the structure and function of the brain, and can refer to change at the level of individual components of brain cells to entire networks in the brain. Music training can be used as a model for studying neuroplasticity induced by complex learning across the lifespan, but the influence of music and music training on the structure and function of the brain is of great interest in its own right. Plasticity in response to music has been demonstrated in children, adults, and patients with neurological disorders. This is often labeled music-induced neuroplasticity, or music training-induced neuroplasticity.

Ongoing areas of research in this field include investigations into the variables that moderate the capacity for neuroplasticity, how music-induced neuroplasticity is related to behavioral performance in both musical and nonmusical domains, and how music can be used to promote beneficial plasticity in rehabilitation.

At the beginning of the 20th century, neuroanatomist Ramon y Cajal proposed that musicians were likely to show changes in the brain related to their musical skill. Autopsy studies in musicians during this period suggested that their brains looked somewhat different than expected. The premise of music-induced neuroplasticity was confirmed with the advent of brain imaging methods that allowed brain structure and function to be noninvasively investigated in living humans. These brain imaging techniques also allowed researchers to demonstrate that neuroplasticity can occur throughout the lifespan, despite the historical notion that the adult human brain was not able to change.