Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40663490›Full record

ArticlePLoS biology2025

Long-term musical training can protect against age-related upregulation of neural activity in speech-in-noise perception.

Lei Zhang, Bernhard Ross, Yi Du, Claude Alain

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PLoS biology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Lei ZhangState Key Laboratory of Cognitive Science and Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.ORCID 0000-0001-6518-2018
Bernhard RossRotman Research Institute, Baycrest Academy for Research and Education, Toronto, Canada.
Yi DuState Key Laboratory of Cognitive Science and Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.ORCID 0000-0003-4512-5221
Claude AlainRotman Research Institute, Baycrest Academy for Research and Education, Toronto, Canada.ORCID 0000-0003-4459-1538

Funding

Canadian Institute for Health ResearchNatural Sciences and Engineering Research Council
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

During cognitive tasks, older adults often show increased frontoparietal neural activity and functional connectivity. Cognitive reserve accrued from positive life choices like long-term musical training can provide additional neural resources to help cope with the effect of aging. However, the relationship between cognitive reserve and upregulated neural activity in older adults remains poorly understood. In this study, we measured brain activity using functional magnetic resonance imaging during a speech-in-noise task and assessed whether cognitive reserve accumulated from long-term musical training bolsters or holds back age-related increase in neural activity. Older musicians exhibited less upregulation of task-induced functional connectivity than older non-musicians in auditory dorsal regions, which predicted better behavioral performance in older musicians. Furthermore, older musicians demonstrated more youth-like spatial patterns of functional connectivity, as compared to older non-musicians. Our findings show that cognitive reserve accrued through long-term music training holds back age-related neural recruitment during speech-in-noise perception and enlighten the intricate interplay between cognitive reserve and age-related upregulated activity during cognitive tasks.

Indexed as

AgingCognitive ReserveMusicSpeech PerceptionAdultAgedAuditory PerceptionBrainBrain MappingFemaleHumansMagnetic Resonance ImagingMaleMiddle AgedNoiseUp-Regulation

Identifiers

PMID40663490
PMCPMC12262870

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.