Long-Term Orchestral String Learning and Event-Related Potentials of Inhibitory Control in Children From...

Children from low socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds are at increased risk for delays in executive function (EF), particularly inhibitory control and attentional regulation. Orchestral string music training is a complex multisensory activity that repeatedly engages executive control systems, yet its neurophysiological mechanisms remain insufficiently understood. In this study we examined whether prolonged string training is associated with enhanced neural dynamics underlying inhibitory control in socioeconomically disadvantaged children.

We re-analyzed 32-channel electroencephalography (EEG) data from an auditory Go/NoGo task in 20 children aged 9-12 years (11 with ≥4 years of orchestral string training; 9 controls). Event-related potentials (ERPs) were extracted using a data-driven vincentization pipeline. Group differences were assessed using mixed-model ANOVAs and topographic analyses.

Musically trained children showed significantly larger NoGo-related ERP amplitudes across N1-N2, P300, N400, and late positive components, with maximal effects over right frontocentral and temporoparietal regions (median Cohen's f = 0.78, median p = 0.005, median upper bound Bayesian Factor = 24.17). These neural differences emerged despite comparable behavioral performance between groups.

Findings suggest that orchestral string training is associated with more efficient recruitment of inhibitory-attentional networks in children facing socioeconomic adversity. These effects align with enhanced fronto-parietal integration and neural efficiency principles, consistent with Adaptive Resonance Theory and Parieto-Frontal Integration Theory frameworks, supporting its potential as a scalable intervention for executive function development.