音楽経験と脳—音楽演奏経験がもたらす脳の可塑性

Musical Experience and Brain Plasticity: does musical training change brain structure and function?

音楽演奏は高度な認知機能のもとに知覚と運動機能の精密な制御と統合を必要とする行為である。近時，脳の構造や機能の非侵襲的測定手法の開発と発展に伴い，生後のあらゆる時期において，音楽演奏経験が多くの脳領域の構造と機能変化を促す事実が明らかとなりつつある。脳の可塑的変化を解き明かすための重要な生体モデルの1つたり得る音楽演奏習得訓練の継続や結果が脳に与える短期的，長期的影響の研究成果について概説する。

Abstract

Musical performance is a highly complicated task, requiring precise regulation and organization of sensorimotor system under high order cognitive functions of the human brain. The recent development of non-invasive measurements of brain structure and function, such as magnetic resonance imaging, in addition to conventional assessments, such as electrophysiology, and behavioral or cognitive tasks allows us to study short- and long-term brain plasticity associated with musical training. This article focuses on cross-sectional and longitudinal studies of musicians and indivisuals participating in music classes, reviews findings in terms of plastic and meta-plastic changes in the human brain induced by musical training over short and long period of time, and describes studies revealing transfer learning effects of musical training.