TY - JOUR
T1 - Neural Plasticity in a French Horn Player with Bilateral Amelia
AU - Scholz, Daniel S.
AU - Heldmann, Marcus
AU - Mohammadi, Bahram
AU - Münte, Thomas F.
AU - Altenmüller, Eckart
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Daniel S. Scholz et al.
PY - 2021
Y1 - 2021
N2 - Precise control of movement and timing play a key role in musical performance. This motor skill requires coordination across multiple joints, muscles, and limbs, which is acquired through extensive musical training from childhood on. Thus, making music can be a strong driver for neuroplasticity. We here present the rare case of a professional french horn player with a congenital bilateral amelia of the upper limbs. We were able to show a unique cerebral and cerebellar somatotopic representation of his toe and feet, that do not follow the characteristic patterns of contralateral cortical and ipsilateral cerebellar layout. Although being a professional horn player who trained his embouchure muscles, including tongue, pharyngeal, and facial muscle usage excessively, there were no obvious signs for an expanded somatosensory representation in this part of the classic homunculus. Compared to the literature and in contrast to control subjects, the musicians' foot movement-related activations occurred in cerebellar areas that are typically more related to hand than to foot activation.
AB - Precise control of movement and timing play a key role in musical performance. This motor skill requires coordination across multiple joints, muscles, and limbs, which is acquired through extensive musical training from childhood on. Thus, making music can be a strong driver for neuroplasticity. We here present the rare case of a professional french horn player with a congenital bilateral amelia of the upper limbs. We were able to show a unique cerebral and cerebellar somatotopic representation of his toe and feet, that do not follow the characteristic patterns of contralateral cortical and ipsilateral cerebellar layout. Although being a professional horn player who trained his embouchure muscles, including tongue, pharyngeal, and facial muscle usage excessively, there were no obvious signs for an expanded somatosensory representation in this part of the classic homunculus. Compared to the literature and in contrast to control subjects, the musicians' foot movement-related activations occurred in cerebellar areas that are typically more related to hand than to foot activation.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85112448770&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1155/2021/4570135
DO - 10.1155/2021/4570135
M3 - Journal articles
C2 - 34373687
AN - SCOPUS:85112448770
SN - 2090-5904
VL - 2021
JO - Neural Plasticity
JF - Neural Plasticity
M1 - 4570135
ER -