Katie Overy | University of Edinburgh (original) (raw)

Papers by Katie Overy

Observational research into the benefits of learning to play a musical instrument suggests that t... more Observational research into the benefits of learning to play a musical instrument suggests that this activity might be related to some cognitive advantages in childhood and in older age (Corrigall et al., 2013; Degé et al., 2011; Rogenmoser et al., 2018; Schneider et al., 2018). Evidence of a positive relationship between playing a musical instrument and cognitive ability mostly comes from cross-sectional studies of children or older adults with varying levels of musical experience; however, some longitudinal research, within each life period, has been conducted and suggests that instrumental playing is positively related to subsequent cognitive ability (e.g., Schellenberg, 2006; Walsh & Brayne, 2019). However, little is known regarding the potential effects of playing a musical instrument on cognitive change occurring across the life course from childhood to older age. Data from the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 (LBC1936) provides a rare opportunity to examine the relationship between ...

In recent years, musicians have been increasingly recruited to investigate grey and white matter ... more In recent years, musicians have been increasingly recruited to investigate grey and white matter neuroplasticity induced by skill acquisition. The development of Diffusion Tensor Magnetic Resonance Imaging (DT-MRI) has allowed more detailed investigation of white matter connections within the brain, addressing questions about the effect of musical training on connectivity between specific brain regions. Here, current DT-MRI analysis techniques are discussed and the available evidence from DT-MRI studies into differences in white matter architecture between musicians and non-musicians is reviewed. Collectively, the existing literature tends to support the hypothesis that musical training can induce changes in cross-hemispheric connections, with significant differences frequently reported in various regions of the corpus callosum of musicians compared with non-musicians. However, differences found in intra-hemispheric fibres have not always been replicated, while findings regarding the internal capsule and corticospinal tracts appear to be contradictory. There is also recent evidence to suggest that variances in white matter structure in non-musicians may correlate with their ability to learn musical skills, offering an alternative explanation for the structural differences observed between musicians and non-musicians. Considering the inconsistencies in the OPEN ACCESS Brain Sci. 2014, 4 406 current literature, possible reasons for conflicting results are offered, along with suggestions for future research in this area.

PLOS ONE

There is growing evidence of the potential effects of musical training on the human brain, as wel... more There is growing evidence of the potential effects of musical training on the human brain, as well as increasing interest in the potential contribution of musical experience to healthy ageing. Conducting research on these topics with older adults requires a comprehensive assessment of musical experience across the lifespan, as well as an understanding of which variables might correlate with musical training and experience (such as personality traits or years of education). The present study introduces a short questionnaire for assessing lifetime musical training and experience in older populations: the Edinburgh Lifetime Musical Experience Questionnaire (ELMEQ). 420 participants from the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 completed the ELMEQ at a mean age of 82 years. We used their responses to the ELMEQ to address three objectives: 1) to report the prevalence of lifetime musical experience in a sample of older adults; 2) to demonstrate how certain item-level responses can be used to model l...

legacyweb.rcm.ac.uk

... 2011, Published by the AEC ISBN 978-94-90306-02-1 All rights reserved An fMRI study of expert... more ... 2011, Published by the AEC ISBN 978-94-90306-02-1 All rights reserved An fMRI study of expert musical imagery: To what extent do imagined and executed performance share the same neural substrate Kirsteen Davidson-Kelly1, Sujin Hong1, Janani Dhinakaran2, Joseph M ...

Post-mortem and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies of the central sulcus, as an indicator o... more Post-mortem and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies of the central sulcus, as an indicator of motor cortex, have shown that in the general population there is greater representation of the dominant compared to the non-dominant hand. Studies of musicians, who are highly skilled in performing complex finger movements, have suggested this dominance is affected by musical training, but methods and findings have been mixed. In the present study, an automated image analysis pipeline using a 3D mesh approach was applied to measure central sulcus (CS) asymmetry on MR images obtained for a cohort of right-handed pianists and matched controls. The depth, length, and surface area (SA) of the CS and thickness of the cortical mantle adjacent to the CS were measured in each cerebral hemisphere by applying the BrainVISA Morphologist 2012 software pipeline to 3D T1-weighted MR images of the brain obtained for 15 right-handed pianists and 14 controls, matched with respect to age, sex, and hande...

Psychomusicology: Music, Mind, and Brain, 2015

Imagery has long been considered an important part of music practice, yet its use in professional... more Imagery has long been considered an important part of music practice, yet its use in professional musicians' practice and teaching has not yet received a great amount of research attention. A participant observation study of a five-day masterclass for 11 expert pianists, given by the pianist and Alexander Technique teacher Nelly Ben-Or (NBO), examined deliberate multimodal musical imagery techniques in a real-world setting. The study aimed to generate an interpretive description of NBO's pedagogy, to investigate how pianists experienced and implemented her techniques, and to explore the possible mechanisms by which teaching according to these principles might work. Data collection incorporated observation, video documentation, interviews, notes, questionnaires and email correspondence. Thematic analysis was used across the corpus. NBO's pedagogy focuses on creating a clear image of the piece to be performed via multimodal imagery techniques and chunking strategies, which can be used during memorisation as well as to improve problematic aspects of performance. Imagery rehearsal may thus provide a means of managing complex tasks in discrete stages and lead to an enhanced sense of integration between intention and action, by diverting attention from the process of playing to the goal outcome, internalised as a multimodal representation. Deliberate imagery strategies were associated with positive outcomes but were also often experienced as challenging. The findings imply that these strategies can be taught and improved over time, their efficacy modulated by skill level and motivation. Overall, participants reported that imagery rehearsal led to improvements in technical facility, musical quality and memory security. Issues for further investigation and application in other domains are discussed.

NeuroReport, 2004

In the adult brain, melody and rhythm processing have been found to show di¡erent hemispheric dom... more In the adult brain, melody and rhythm processing have been found to show di¡erent hemispheric dominance, with the right hemisphere apparently more sensitive to melody and the left hemisphere to rhythm. We used a novel, child-friendly scanning protocol to examine the neural basis of melody and rhythm processing in young children (mean age 6 years 4 months, n¼33). FMRI data were acquired using a sparse temporal sampling technique, taking advantage of the natural delay in the cerebrovascular response to neuronal activity. We found that this group of young children showed some di¡erential specialization for melody and rhythm processing, but to a lesser extent than previously reported in adults. These results suggest that hemispheric specialization for musical processing may develop with age. NeuroReport 15:17231 726 c 2004 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

NeuroImage, 2012

Two major influences on how the brain processes music are maturational development and active mus... more Two major influences on how the brain processes music are maturational development and active musical training. Previous functional neuroimaging studies investigating music processing have typically focused on either categorical differences between "musicians versus nonmusicians" or "children versus adults." In the present study, we explored a cross-sectional data set (n = 84) using multiple linear regression to isolate the performance-independent effects of age (5 to 33 years) and cumulative duration of musical training (0 to 21,000 practice hours) on fMRI activation similarities and differences between melodic discrimination (MD) and rhythmic discrimination (RD). Age-related effects common to MD and RD were present in three left hemisphere regions: temporofrontal junction, ventral premotor cortex, and the inferior part of the intraparietal sulcus, regions involved in active attending to auditory rhythms, sensorimotor integration, and working memory transformations of pitch and rhythmic patterns. By contrast, training-related effects common to MD and RD were localized to the posterior portion of the left superior temporal gyrus/planum temporale, an area implicated in spectrotemporal pattern matching and auditory-motor coordinate transformations. A single cluster in right superior temporal gyrus showed significantly greater activation during MD than RD. This is the first fMRI which has distinguished maturational from training effects during music processing.

Brain and Cognition, 2005

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 2005

Proceedings of the …, 2004

1Music and Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Neurology, Palmer 127, Beth Israel Deaconess Me... more 1Music and Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Neurology, Palmer 127, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center & Harvard Medical School, 330 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA 02215, USA ... 2Center for Advanced MRI, Department of Radiology, E/AN226, Beth Israel Deaconess ...

Magyar Tudomány

specifically on language and motor skills. I will then outline four different experimental studie... more specifically on language and motor skills. I will then outline four different experimental studies conducted in the Institute for Music in Human and Social Development at the University of Edinburgh, each of which investigated a different aspect of musical learning.

ABSTRACT: While it is often reported that musical experience can have positive effects on cogniti... more ABSTRACT: While it is often reported that musical experience can have positive effects on cognitive development in young children, the neural basis of such potential effects remains relatively unexplored. Employing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) for such research presents as many challenges as possibilities, not least of which is the fact that young children can find it difficult to remain still and attentive for long periods of time. Here we describe an fMRI scanning protocol designed specifically for young children using short scanning runs, a sparse temporal sampling data acquisition technique, simple rhythmic and melodic discrimination tasks with a button-press response, and a childoriented preparation session. Children were recruited as part of a large-scale longitudinal study examining the effects of musical training on cognitive development and the structure and function of the growing brain. Results from an initial analysis of 33 children and from the first fiv...

K. Davidson-Kelly, S. Hong, J. Dhinakaran, J. Sanders, C. Gray, E. J. van Beek, N. Roberts, and K... more K. Davidson-Kelly, S. Hong, J. Dhinakaran, J. Sanders, C. Gray, E. J. van Beek, N. Roberts, and K. Overy Music, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom, Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburgh, Germany, Guildhall School of Music & Drama, London, United Kingdom, Clinical Research Imaging Centre (CRIC), Queen’s Medical Research Institute (QMRI), University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom