Playing Piano in the Mind – An fMRI study on music imagery and performance in pianists

1. Playing Piano in the Mind –An fMRI study on music imagery and performance in pianists I.G. Meister, T. Krings, H. Foltys, B. Boroojerdi, M. Muller, R. Topper, & A. Thron By Michelle Tamplin

2. Introduction • Music performance: ability to read musical notes and play an instrument simultaneously • Complex motor task • Requires rapid and effective transformation and processing of visual information into complex movements • Takes years of practice

3. Introduction • Looked at brain activation during musical performance and during musical imagery in trained music students • Purpose: • to investigate the cortical network which mediates music performance compared to music imagery using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)

4. Subjects • 12 students from the Cologne School of Music • 10 female, 2 male (mean age: 26.6 years) • Principal instrument: piano • Average total musical training: 18.4 years • Average practice time: 22 hours/week • All right handed

5. Experimental Task • Used a piano keyboard while in fMRI • No metal parts in keyboard (made no sound) • Experimental music: • Short piano piece called “Triolak” by Bela Bartok • Only right hand notes of music piece were shown on a computer screen

6. Experimental Task • Baseline: scan in fMRI, no task • Music Performance Condition: • Played presented piece with right hand on keyboard • Music Imagery Condition: • Read music with hand off keyboard • Instructed to imagine themselves playing the piece • Monitored to ensure no hand movement

7. Results Music Performance minus Baseline Music Imagery minus Baseline

8. Results • Fronto-parietal cortical network activated: • Primary sensorimotor cortex • Posterior parietal cortex • More activation during music performance condition (left) than music imagery condition (right)

9. Discussion • Left Primary Sensorimotor Cortex • Greater activation during music performance than in music imagery • Reflects motor execution

10. Discussion • Bilateral Posterior Parietal Cortex • Greater activation during music performance • Integrates sensory information and processes coordination of body movements within space • Mainly mediates visuomotor transformation • Higher activation during performance suggests greater level of visuomotor integration required during motor execution

11. Strengths and Limitations • Strengths: • Good visuals • Analyzed many different brain structures that appear to work together during music performance • Limitations: • Few participants, mostly female • All from same school

12. Opinion • Overall interesting paper • Confusing • Methods could have been explained better • For Future Studies: • Look at students learning to play piano to see if same brain regions are activated

13. Summary • Greater activation in the left primary sensorimotor cortex and bilateral posterior parietal cortex during music performance • Greater level of visuomotor integration required during motor execution compared to mental stimulation

14. Thank You! Questions?