Abstract

RODRIGUES, Ana Carolina; LOUREIRO, Maurício  and  CARAMELLI, Paulo. Effects of musical training on the brain: neural and cognitive aspects. Neuropsicologia Latinoamericana [online]. 2013, vol.5, n.4, pp. 15-31. ISSN 2075-9479.

The interest in studying the effects of musical training on the human brain has grown considerably in the last decades. Several works have shown that musicians have structural and functional encephalic characteristics which are not found in non-musicians and which are related with the age at commencement of musical studies. This plastic reorganization can also produce cognitive differences between musicians and non-musicians, as has been demonstrated in many studies. Musicians can be considered as ideal cases for investigations on brain adaptation, due to their unique and intensive training experiences. This article presents a review of findings in the last two decades showing positive effects of musical training on the brain, considering both neural and cognitive aspects. In addition to contributing to a better understanding of the effects of musical practice on development and functioning of several neural systems, which underlie many cognitive abilities, such studies may have implications in the fields of health and education.

Keywords : Music; Musical training; Brain; Neuroplasticity; Cognition.

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