An fMRI comparison between younger and older adults of neural activity associated with recognition of familiar melodies
Abstract
We investigated age-related differences in neural activation associated with recognition of familiar melodies, a process that requires retrieval from musical semantic memory and leads to a feeling of familiarity. We used sparse sampling fMRI to determine the neural correlates of melody processing and familiarity by comparing activation when listening to melodies versus signal-correlated noise, and to familiar versus unfamiliar melodies, respectively. Overall, activity in the bilateral superior temporal gyrus correlated well with melody processing. Familiarity was associated with several frontal regions (bilateral inferior frontal gyrus, superior frontal gyrus, and precentral gyrus; left insular cortex), right superior temporal gyrus; left supramarginal gyrus and cingulate gyrus; bilateral putamen and thalamus; cerebellum and brainstem. No significant differences were found between younger and older adults for either melody processing or familiarity based activation. Assessment of familiarity-related group differences using less stringent criteria identified plausible areas; greater activation was seen bilaterally in the superior temporal gyrus in younger adults and in some left parietal regions in older adults. This study adds to the knowledge of musical semantic memory with results based on a large sample (N = 40) that includes older adults. Our findings for activation associated with melody processing and familiarity support some, but not all, previous results of related studies. We were unable to find conclusive evidence of age-related differences in neural correlates of musical semantic memory, while also being the first study (to the best of our knowledge) to search for these differences.
URI for this record
http://hdl.handle.net/1974/8284Collections
Request an alternative format
If you require this document in an alternate, accessible format, please contact the Queen's Adaptive Technology CentreRelated items
Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.
-
Meaningful Music Memories
Harper, Shawna-Marie (2015-01-06)The purpose of this qualitative, narrative study was to explore long-term, meaningful memories associated with participating in Ontario high school music programs. I sought to understand how and why music experiences ... -
The experiences of Canadian women in popular music: “even on the worst sick no gas freezing Canadian middle of January rockie mountain or Halifax breakdown there is nothing better to do for a living”
MacKay, Robbie J. (2008-04-10)This study examined the personal and professional experiences of Canadian professional female popular musicians. The researcher gathered data in two phases. In phase one, 85 female musicians completed a 105-question on-line ... -
Lyrical Music and Second Language Acquisition: A study on the use of children's songs as a strategy for Hul'q'umi'num' language revitalization
Peter, Stephanie (2016-04-30)The use of lyrical music to aid in the revitalization of Hul’qumi’num’, a dialect spoken on southeastern Vancouver Island, is a strategy that builds on the connections between music and language. These connections are ...