Correlations in spontaneous activity and gray matter... : NeuroReport (original) (raw)

BRAIN IMAGING

Correlations in spontaneous activity and gray matter density between left and right sensoritmotor areas of pianists

Lv, Ya-Tinga c; Yang, Hongb e; Wang, De-Yic; Li, Shu-Yud; Han, Yingc; Zhu, Chao-Zhec; He, Yongf; Tang, He-Hanb; Gong, Qi-Yongb; Zang, Yu-Fengc

aNational Laboratory of Pattern Recognition, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences

bDepartment of Radiology, Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), West China Hospital of Sichuan University

cState Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University

dDepartment of Bioengineering, Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics

eDepartment of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

fMcConnell Brain Imaging Center, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Canada

Correspondence to Yu-Feng Zang, MD, State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China

Tel: +86 10 58801023; fax: +86 10 58806154; e-mail: [email protected]

Received 10 January 2008; accepted 27 January 2008

Abstract

Resting-state functional MRI and structural MRI were used to study correlations of spontaneous activity and gray matter density between the left and right primary sensorimotor areas in pianists and nonmusicians. Functional MRI analysis showed significant correlation of spontaneous activity between the left and right primary sensorimotor area in both groups; however, there was no between-group difference. Structural MRI analysis showed significant correlation in gray matter density between the left and right sensorimotor areas in nonmusicians (_r_=0.65, _P_=0.001), but not in pianists (_r_=0.07, _P_=0.78), with a significant between-group difference (_P_=0.035). The lack of correlation of gray matter density between the left and right sensorimotor areas might be the basis of bimanual coordination of the pianists.