Longitudinal changes in auditory and reward systems following receptive music-based intervention in older adults

Authors

Milena Aiello Quinci
Alexander Belden
Valerie Goutama
Dayang Gong
Suzanne Hanser, Berklee College of Music
Nancy J. Donovan
Maiya Geddes
Psyche Loui

Work Type

Article

Publication Date

2022

Department

Music Therapy

Abstract

Listening to pleasurable music is known to engage the brain’s reward system. This has motivated many cognitive-behavioral interventions for healthy aging, but little is known about the effects of music-based intervention (MBI) on activity and connectivity of the brain’s auditory and reward systems. Here we show preliminary evidence that brain network connectivity can change after receptive MBI in cognitively unimpaired older adults. Using a combination of whole-brain regression, seed-based connectivity analysis, and representational similarity analysis (RSA), we examined fMRI responses during music listening in older adults before and after an 8-week personalized MBI. Participants rated self-selected and researcher-selected musical excerpts on liking and familiarity. Parametric effects of liking, familiarity, and selection showed simultaneous activation in auditory, reward, and default mode network (DMN) areas. Functional connectivity within and between auditory and reward networks was modulated by participant liking and familiarity ratings. RSA showed significant representations of selection and novelty at both time-points, and an increase in striatal representation of musical stimuli following intervention. An exploratory seed-based connectivity analysis comparing pre- and post-intervention showed significant increase in functional connectivity between auditory regions and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Taken together, results show how regular music listening can provide an auditory channel towards the mPFC, thus offering a potential neural mechanism for MBI supporting healthy aging.

Comments

This article was published open access under a CC BY license in Scientific Reports.

Recommended Citation

Quinci, Milena Aiello; Belden, Alexander; Goutama, Valerie; Gong, Dayang; Hanser, Suzanne; Donovan, Nancy J.; Geddes, Maiya; and Loui, Psyche, "Longitudinal changes in auditory and reward systems following receptive music-based intervention in older adults" (2022). Faculty Works.
https://remix.berklee.edu/faculty-works/80