Auditory Plasticity in Musicians: A Comparative Study

Abstract

Musical training is a rigorous routine involving the segregation of vocal and instrumental sounds presented concurrently. To investigate the effect of musical experience on the neural representation of speech-in-noise, we compared behavioral scores of speech perception in noise and sub cortical neuro physiological responses to speech in a group of highly trained musicians and non-musician controls. A total of 50 participants comprised musicians and non musicians were taken, aged between 7-18 years. Speech evoked ABR and LLR were done along with SPIN test. Musicians were found to have a more robust sub cortical representation of the speech stimulus. Musicians had earlier response onset timing, than. non-musicians For encoding is better in musicians than in non musicians. Speech perception ability in musicians becomes better with increased years of musical exposure and experience. The increase in Fo amplitude is positively correlated with the speech perception in noise. Musicians had better behavioral performance on the Speech in Noise Test (SPIN) outperforming the non-musician controls. These findings suggest that musical experience limits the negative effects of competing background noise.