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

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

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)

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

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

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

Results

Music Performance minus Baseline Music Imagery minus Baseline

Results• Fronto-parietal cortical

network activated:– Primary sensorimotor cortex– Posterior parietal cortex

• More activation during music performance condition (left) than music imagery condition (right)

Discussion• Left Primary Sensorimotor Cortex– Greater activation during music performance than

in music imagery– Reflects motor execution

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

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

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

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

Thank You!

Questions?