Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. ISSN 0077-8923
A N N A L S O F T H E N E W Y O R K A C A D E M Y O F SC I E N C E S Issue: The Neurosciences and Music V
Introduction to The Neurosciences and Music V: Cognitive Stimulation and Rehabilitation
Cognitive stimulation is a fascinating scientific topic that taps into a crucial aspect of the human brain: its neural and functional plasticity. Understanding the cognitive and neural mechanisms that govern this plasticity is a key issue for both human life and basic science, and has tremendous implications for society in relation to technology, education, and health care. The concept of cognitive stimulation builds upon an important corpus of research that demonstrates that the human brain manifests neural plasticity throughout life and that neural plasticity still occurs in individuals affected by, for example, mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s disease, or stroke. These discoveries have led to the development of intervention technology designed to enhance and/or maintain cognitive and motor functioning. In healthy individuals, cognitive stimulation may improve cognitive and motor functions for specific purposes, such as, for example, fostering abilities in workers or enhancing attention in young and old drivers. Stimulating cognition can even be a key issue for risky professions, such as pilots or security personnel. Cognitive stimulation also contributes to reducing the effects of aging in seniors and facilitates scholastic success in children with cognitive deficiencies, including those with sensory impairments. It is even likely that greater plasticity in childhood may result in better resilience to aging (the reserve capacity hypothesis). In neurological patients, cognitive stimulation provides nonpharmacological approaches for recovering brain and motor functions after brain damage, disease, or delayed mental development. It opens new perspectives for therapeutic interventions designed to improve the well-being of patients suffering from various diseases, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and stroke. The possibility of including powerful engineering technologies and computational sciences in cognitive training programs will raise the effectiveness and accessibility of these programs. The success of current industrial developments suggests that the economic impact of cognitive technology is likely to be very significant in the near future. The social impact of cognitive stimulation has been notably shown during the last five years by the number and variety of products related to cognitive training that have been commercialized by new industries for brain, mind, and body fitness. Numerous books have been published on topics like “strengthening your brain”; numerous Web sites are promising improvements of cognitive, affective, and social intelligence thanks to “brain fitness programs”; and a number of commercial computer programs claim that they can “boost your brain.” In sum, cognitive stimulation opens promising avenues to address some important educational and health challenges of the modern, and aging, society. For all these reasons, cognitive stimulation will unquestionably have considerable economic impact: it could optimize the performance of healthy people in everyday life (including working environments), and it may reduce the cost of medical assistance to elderly and brain-damaged patients by improving the autonomy and well-being of patients. Accordingly, an important challenge for the cognitive sciences and neurosciences will be to understand how human beings take advantage of neural plasticity. doi: 10.1111/nyas.12732 C 2015 New York Academy of Sciences. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 1337 (2015) vii–ix
vii
Introduction
Bigand & Tillmann
In this overall context, the conference “Neurosciences and Music V” was held in Dijon, France, on May 29 to June 1, 2014. The main objective of this meeting was to consider whether musical activities could provide a suitable field for success in cognitive stimulation and rehabilitation. Recent research has demonstrated that natural recreational activities produce substantial effects on cognition. Brain and cognitive fitness programs have the advantage of being highly enjoyable and engaging, notably for children or patients, and, presumably, involve diverse cognitive abilities. Music seems to be remarkable from this point of view: it is a highly pleasant activity that taps into a large number of cognitive, motor, affective, and social aspects. The advantage of music is its ability to integrate all these abilities (notably during performance or dance) and to potentially be very demanding for each of them. How the recruitment of these abilities potentially modifies the brain, and may provide a positive transfer to nonmusical areas, is considered in detail in this volume. The keynote of Louis Bherer introduces the general field of cognitive stimulation, outside the music domain, and its implication for cognitive plasticity in adults, including the elderly. Music is an art that depends on time; several chapters examine the contribution of rhythm and the temporal structure of music on language development (Kovelman et al. and Gordon et al.). Other articles address language rehabilitation (Sch¨on and Tillmann and Kotz and Gunter), attentional processes (Morillon and Schroeder), motor abilities (Schaefer and Overy, Leow et al., and Bardy et al.), motor rehabilitation (Scholz et al., Dalla Bella et al., and Moens and Leman), as well as socialization of infants (Trainor and Cirelli). The fundamental links between music and movement are further investigated in musically trained and untrained people, and in patients (van der Steen et al., Hove and Keller, Furuya and Altenm¨uller, and Ull´en et al.), as well as by studying the impact of dance on brain plasticity (Kirsch et al. and Karpati et al.). The positive effects of music on nonmusical abilities in children and adults are reported in Moreno and Farzan, Putkinen et al., Kraus and Strait, and Schellenberg. Among the large number of processes engaged by musical activity, the power of emotional processes is often considered as one potential explanation for the impact of music on cognitive stimulation. The most striking discoveries about the emotional power of music are reported in three papers: Koelsch, Zatorre, and Vuilleumier and Trost. The role of music for emotional regulation in infants and, more generally, infants’ well-being is discussed in Loewy, and Trehub et al. In Cuddy et al., Agustus et al., Halpern et al., and Samson et al. authors address the efficiency of music intervention in dementia. The series of 10 conference symposia was complemented by two workshops included here, covering two very different topics: one focusing on patients with disorders of consciousness (Magee and O’Kelly), and the other on poor singing (Loui et al.). More than 30 oral presentations distributed over the 3 days of the conference were enriched by highly stimulating poster sessions (see Supplementary Online file), reflecting the dynamic qualities of this research domain. This issue of Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences thus provides a comprehensive guide to understanding how music uniquely contributes to programs of cognitive stimulation and rehabilitation. The Dijon conference continues in the line of the preceding ones generously promoted by the Mariani Foundation over the last 15 years. Reviewing the addressed research topics shows the progression of the research domain. The first conferences were mainly focused on fundamental research, notably addressing topics such as the biological foundations of music (New York, 2000, Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci., Vol. 930), development (Venice, 2002, Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci., Vol. 999), as well as perception and performance (Leipzig, 2005, Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci., Vol. 1060). The topic of disorders and plasticity addressed in Montreal (2008, Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci., Vol. 1169) showed the progression from basic to applied research, bringing together laboratory and clinical work. The next conference (Edinburgh, 2011, Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci., Vol. 1252) on learning and memory outlined a promising future for the neuroscience of music, notably that time is ripe for discovery and development of major implications for music rehabilitation and therapy. Finally, “Neurosciences and Music V” presented new exciting research on these implications toward the role of music in cognitive stimulation and rehabilitation. This brief overview of the “Neurosciences and Music” conferences reveals that the field has come a long way from basic research to the addition of clinical research and applied studies. It also shows, however, the importance of continuing to develop the interactions between these levels and domains, so that basic viii
C 2015 New York Academy of Sciences. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 1337 (2015) vii–ix
Bigand & Tillmann
Introduction
science continues to feed into applications, while knowledge acquired in the clinic or in the classroom can feed back to inspire new basic science research. This volume, we hope, will expand our understanding of music and the brain and the potential benefits of music for the individual and society, and open the question of its specificity in comparison to other art forms and programs.
Emmanuel Bigand University of Bourgogne Barbara Tillmann Lyon Neuroscience Research Center
C 2015 New York Academy of Sciences. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 1337 (2015) vii–ix
ix
A N N A L S O F T H E N E W Y O R K A C A D E M Y O F SC I E N C E S Issue: The Neurosciences and Music V
Introduction to The Neurosciences and Music V: Cognitive Stimulation and Rehabilitation
Cognitive stimulation is a fascinating scientific topic that taps into a crucial aspect of the human brain: its neural and functional plasticity. Understanding the cognitive and neural mechanisms that govern this plasticity is a key issue for both human life and basic science, and has tremendous implications for society in relation to technology, education, and health care. The concept of cognitive stimulation builds upon an important corpus of research that demonstrates that the human brain manifests neural plasticity throughout life and that neural plasticity still occurs in individuals affected by, for example, mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s disease, or stroke. These discoveries have led to the development of intervention technology designed to enhance and/or maintain cognitive and motor functioning. In healthy individuals, cognitive stimulation may improve cognitive and motor functions for specific purposes, such as, for example, fostering abilities in workers or enhancing attention in young and old drivers. Stimulating cognition can even be a key issue for risky professions, such as pilots or security personnel. Cognitive stimulation also contributes to reducing the effects of aging in seniors and facilitates scholastic success in children with cognitive deficiencies, including those with sensory impairments. It is even likely that greater plasticity in childhood may result in better resilience to aging (the reserve capacity hypothesis). In neurological patients, cognitive stimulation provides nonpharmacological approaches for recovering brain and motor functions after brain damage, disease, or delayed mental development. It opens new perspectives for therapeutic interventions designed to improve the well-being of patients suffering from various diseases, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and stroke. The possibility of including powerful engineering technologies and computational sciences in cognitive training programs will raise the effectiveness and accessibility of these programs. The success of current industrial developments suggests that the economic impact of cognitive technology is likely to be very significant in the near future. The social impact of cognitive stimulation has been notably shown during the last five years by the number and variety of products related to cognitive training that have been commercialized by new industries for brain, mind, and body fitness. Numerous books have been published on topics like “strengthening your brain”; numerous Web sites are promising improvements of cognitive, affective, and social intelligence thanks to “brain fitness programs”; and a number of commercial computer programs claim that they can “boost your brain.” In sum, cognitive stimulation opens promising avenues to address some important educational and health challenges of the modern, and aging, society. For all these reasons, cognitive stimulation will unquestionably have considerable economic impact: it could optimize the performance of healthy people in everyday life (including working environments), and it may reduce the cost of medical assistance to elderly and brain-damaged patients by improving the autonomy and well-being of patients. Accordingly, an important challenge for the cognitive sciences and neurosciences will be to understand how human beings take advantage of neural plasticity. doi: 10.1111/nyas.12732 C 2015 New York Academy of Sciences. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 1337 (2015) vii–ix
vii
Introduction
Bigand & Tillmann
In this overall context, the conference “Neurosciences and Music V” was held in Dijon, France, on May 29 to June 1, 2014. The main objective of this meeting was to consider whether musical activities could provide a suitable field for success in cognitive stimulation and rehabilitation. Recent research has demonstrated that natural recreational activities produce substantial effects on cognition. Brain and cognitive fitness programs have the advantage of being highly enjoyable and engaging, notably for children or patients, and, presumably, involve diverse cognitive abilities. Music seems to be remarkable from this point of view: it is a highly pleasant activity that taps into a large number of cognitive, motor, affective, and social aspects. The advantage of music is its ability to integrate all these abilities (notably during performance or dance) and to potentially be very demanding for each of them. How the recruitment of these abilities potentially modifies the brain, and may provide a positive transfer to nonmusical areas, is considered in detail in this volume. The keynote of Louis Bherer introduces the general field of cognitive stimulation, outside the music domain, and its implication for cognitive plasticity in adults, including the elderly. Music is an art that depends on time; several chapters examine the contribution of rhythm and the temporal structure of music on language development (Kovelman et al. and Gordon et al.). Other articles address language rehabilitation (Sch¨on and Tillmann and Kotz and Gunter), attentional processes (Morillon and Schroeder), motor abilities (Schaefer and Overy, Leow et al., and Bardy et al.), motor rehabilitation (Scholz et al., Dalla Bella et al., and Moens and Leman), as well as socialization of infants (Trainor and Cirelli). The fundamental links between music and movement are further investigated in musically trained and untrained people, and in patients (van der Steen et al., Hove and Keller, Furuya and Altenm¨uller, and Ull´en et al.), as well as by studying the impact of dance on brain plasticity (Kirsch et al. and Karpati et al.). The positive effects of music on nonmusical abilities in children and adults are reported in Moreno and Farzan, Putkinen et al., Kraus and Strait, and Schellenberg. Among the large number of processes engaged by musical activity, the power of emotional processes is often considered as one potential explanation for the impact of music on cognitive stimulation. The most striking discoveries about the emotional power of music are reported in three papers: Koelsch, Zatorre, and Vuilleumier and Trost. The role of music for emotional regulation in infants and, more generally, infants’ well-being is discussed in Loewy, and Trehub et al. In Cuddy et al., Agustus et al., Halpern et al., and Samson et al. authors address the efficiency of music intervention in dementia. The series of 10 conference symposia was complemented by two workshops included here, covering two very different topics: one focusing on patients with disorders of consciousness (Magee and O’Kelly), and the other on poor singing (Loui et al.). More than 30 oral presentations distributed over the 3 days of the conference were enriched by highly stimulating poster sessions (see Supplementary Online file), reflecting the dynamic qualities of this research domain. This issue of Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences thus provides a comprehensive guide to understanding how music uniquely contributes to programs of cognitive stimulation and rehabilitation. The Dijon conference continues in the line of the preceding ones generously promoted by the Mariani Foundation over the last 15 years. Reviewing the addressed research topics shows the progression of the research domain. The first conferences were mainly focused on fundamental research, notably addressing topics such as the biological foundations of music (New York, 2000, Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci., Vol. 930), development (Venice, 2002, Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci., Vol. 999), as well as perception and performance (Leipzig, 2005, Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci., Vol. 1060). The topic of disorders and plasticity addressed in Montreal (2008, Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci., Vol. 1169) showed the progression from basic to applied research, bringing together laboratory and clinical work. The next conference (Edinburgh, 2011, Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci., Vol. 1252) on learning and memory outlined a promising future for the neuroscience of music, notably that time is ripe for discovery and development of major implications for music rehabilitation and therapy. Finally, “Neurosciences and Music V” presented new exciting research on these implications toward the role of music in cognitive stimulation and rehabilitation. This brief overview of the “Neurosciences and Music” conferences reveals that the field has come a long way from basic research to the addition of clinical research and applied studies. It also shows, however, the importance of continuing to develop the interactions between these levels and domains, so that basic viii
C 2015 New York Academy of Sciences. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 1337 (2015) vii–ix
Bigand & Tillmann
Introduction
science continues to feed into applications, while knowledge acquired in the clinic or in the classroom can feed back to inspire new basic science research. This volume, we hope, will expand our understanding of music and the brain and the potential benefits of music for the individual and society, and open the question of its specificity in comparison to other art forms and programs.
Emmanuel Bigand University of Bourgogne Barbara Tillmann Lyon Neuroscience Research Center
C 2015 New York Academy of Sciences. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 1337 (2015) vii–ix
ix
