Study On The Mechanism And Application Of Music Intervention On Executive Function

Executive function is a high-level function of the brain that provides conscious control of thoughts and actions,and well-functioning executive function is the key to satisfying the need of daily life,work and learning.However,aging and some brain diseases can lead to a decrease in executive function and have a negative impact on patients’ daily lives.Therefore,it is important to find a highly accepted method to intervene executive function.Music is an important cultural product of human development,and modern science has shown that our brains are musical.The interdisciplinary research of music and neuroscience can expand our knowledge of brain function,help us better understand the nature of music,and promote the prosperity of the music business.Previous studies have shown that music listening,aesthetics and training involve the participation of various high-level cognitive functions of the brain,including executive function,and can effectively promote brain neuroplasticity.Although music training have been shown to be effective in enhancing executive function,different music training modalities involve different patterns of coordinated hand movements and may lead to differences in the plasticity effects of executive function in the brain.In terms of interventions for executive function,some studies have shown that rhythmic oscillatory electrical stimulation or magnetic stimulation can effectively enhance executive function by directing the oscillatory rhythm of neural activity,but less research has focus on auditory stimulation interventions for executive function.Previous studies have shown that brain-wave music generated from electroencephalography(EEG)signals could affect our nervous system and positively affect some brain functions.Few studies have compared the results of varying music training modalities on executive function,and no studies have explored the effects and mechanisms of brain-wave music intervention on executive function.Therefore,in this study,the impact of music training and brain-wave music on executive function is explored by EEG.In the first work,we recruited 18 string musicians,20 pianists,and 19 non-musicians to perform a bimanual key pressing task during EEG recording.Behavioral results revealed that pianists have the highest accuracy and the shortest response time,followed by string musicians and non-musicians.Time-frequency analyses of EEG revealed that pianists generated significantly greater theta power than the other groups from 500 ms to800 ms post-stimulus in mid-central,frontal brain areas,and motor control areas.Functional connectivity analyses found that the pianists showed significantly greater connectivity in the frontal-parietal area in the theta band based on phase-locking value analysis,which suggests that piano training improves executive function and enhances the connectivity between the prefrontal and mid-central regions,and emphasizes the key node role of the dorsolateral prefrontal lobe in the executive functional task.Based on the first work,we continued to explore the effects and mechanisms of brain-wave music intervention on executive function.At first,two pieces of brain-wave music were generated as the auditory stimulus by the EEG of the previous work.We filtered the alpha-based EEG data of musicians from the first work and converted it into alpha brain-wave music.We also filtered theta-based EEG data from previous sleep research and converted it into theta brain-wave music.At the same time,silent stimulation was selected as the control condition for the experiment.60 healthy college students were recruited and randomly divided into three groups in this work.The subjects were required to complete the Go/NoGo task once before and after the auditory intervention.The response time,accuracy and EEG data were recorded during the experiment.Behavioral results revealed that alpha brain-wave music and theta brain-wave music significantly reduced the subjects’ response time in the Go/NoGo task,and the intervention effect of theta brain-wave music is more significant.Time-frequency analyses of EEG revealed that during the Go/NoGo task,compared to the control group,the theta oscillation in the right frontal and subparietal regions of the brain increased after the alpha brain-wave music intervention.Functional connectivity analyses found that compared to the control group,the theta brain-wave music intervention group showed more significant connectivity enhancement between the bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in the theta band and primary visual cortex,and the alpha brain-wave music intervention group showed more significant connectivity enhancement between left precentral cortex,auditory cortex,primary visual cortex,and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex in the alpha band.These results may respond to the intervention effect of brain-wave music on executive functions,and the underlying mechanism may be related to neural entrainment.The results of this study showed that both music training and brainwave music can positively affect executive functions by enhancing functional connectivity between the posterior lateral prefrontal cortex and sensory-motor regions.However,their roles in information flow differ: music training enhances executive functions by affecting brain plasticity,which is the BAC-1 pathway in brain apparatus conversations(bacomics),i.e.,the output pathway of the brain;while brainwave music may enhance executive functions through neural resonance and other means,which is the BAC-2 pathway in bacomics,i.e.,the input pathway of the brain.This study helps to better understand the plasticity effects of different music training approaches on executive functions,and provides insights for non-invasive interventions for populations with declining executive functions due to aging or related brain disorders.