Reorganization of the thalamocortical network in musicians

The cortico-thalamocortical network is relevant to music performance in that the network can regulate sensitivity to afferent input or sound, mediate the integration of multimodal information required for the performance, and play a role in skilled performance control. We, therefore, predicted that this network would be reorganized via musical training-induced neuroplasticity. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed resting-state functional connectivity of the thalamocortical network in musicians (n=35) and nonmusicians (n=35). The seed-to-voxel functional connectivity analysis of the left thalamus seed showed enhanced connectivity voxels in the precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) in musicians compared with nonmusicians. Region of interest (ROI)-to-ROI functional connectivity analysis showed that the auditory areas were also more strongly connected with the left thalamus in musicians. Discriminant analysis using the ROI-to-ROI functional connectivity data of the precuneus/PCC and auditory areas as predictors yielded an 87% correct discrimination of musicians from nonmusicians. Therefore, we can conclude that, as a consequence of long-term musical training, musicians have a characteristically organized thalamocortical network. The precuneus and PCC are principal nodes of the default mode network and play a pivotal role in the manipulation of mental imagery. We propose that the reorganized thalamocortical network in musicians contributes not only to higher sensitivity to sound but also to the integration of mental imagery with sound, which are both presumed to be important for better music performance.