Music-performance regulates microRNAs in professional musicians

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Epigenetics
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• Musical training impacts brain structure and function, with musicians exhibiting superior cognitive abilities.
• Music performance and listening influence gene regulation, with parallels drawn to songbird singing mechanisms.
• MicroRNAs play a crucial role in gene regulation, offering insights into the epigenetic effects of music.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effect of classical music performance on peripheral blood microRNA expression in professional musicians.
• To identify specific microRNAs affected by music performance and infer their potential impact on brain function.
• To explore convergent regulatory mechanisms between music performance and songbird auditory learning.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of peripheral blood microRNA expression in professional musicians after 2 hours of classical music performance versus a non-musical control activity.
• Identification of differentially expressed microRNAs using statistical analysis (FDR <0.05).
• Bioinformatic analysis to predict target genes and associated pathways of identified microRNAs, comparing with songbird data.

Main Results:

• Significant up-regulation of five microRNAs (hsa-miR-30d-5p, hsa-miR-92a-3p, hsa-miR-222-3p, hsa-miR-30a-5p, hsa-miR-3909) and down-regulation of two (hsa-miR-6803-3p, hsa-miR-1249-3p).
• Identified microRNAs (e.g., miR-222, miR-92a) target genes involved in neuronal plasticity, memory formation (ERK cascade, CREB), and auditory processing.
• Up-regulated microRNAs are linked to the Akt signaling pathway and suggest repression of apoptosis during music performance.

Conclusions:

• Music performance induces specific microRNA expression changes in peripheral blood, reflecting epigenetic modifications.
• These microRNA changes are associated with pathways crucial for brain function, including neuronal plasticity and auditory processing.
• Findings suggest conserved molecular mechanisms underlying auditory perception in humans and songbirds, modulated by music performance.