Piano Training Induces Dynamic Neuroplasticity of Bimanual Coordination but Not Auditory Processing in Young Adults

Piano training enables the study of the interplay between the auditory and motor domains in the acquisition of complex skill. Here, we uniquely combine longitudinal and cross-sectional designs to show how the motor and auditory brain systems respond in novice pianists over a 6-month training period. In the auditory domain, we found no differences in brain activation between novice pianists and a passive control group. In a specially designed piano task on an MRI-compatible keyboard, we demonstrate that the time course of neuroplastic reorganization in the cortical and subcortical regions reflects the shift from spatial attention to automated movements, but depends on task demands related to bimanual coordination. Importantly, no single model of brain plasticity can fully explain the observed dynamic time courses of functional changes. Finally, we demonstrate that the increased activation in the dorsal premotor and parietal cortices in novice pianists compared to skilled musicians while performing the motor task vanishes within the first 6 months of training. These results present converging evidence that the dynamic musical-training-related plasticity is highly contextual, and underscore the importance of ecological designs in research on skill acquisition.