Musical training is associated with cognitive outcomes and white matter microstructure in middle childhood

Musical training is associated with improved cognitive and academic performance across development. While specific neural mechanisms have been implicated in these associations, the precise relationship between white matter structure and putative cognitive effects of musical training are unclear. The present study examined the relationships between musical training, cognitive performance, and white matter structure in middle childhood. Using a combination of behavioral assessments and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in a sample of 76 preadolescents (38 with musical training and 38 without musical training) between 7 and 9 years old, cognitive abilities were tested using the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Abilities (WJ III) and the Operation Span Task (OSPAN), while academic achievement was assessed using the Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement (KTEA II). Behavioral results revealed that participants with musical training had higher cognitive scores (F(5, 70) = 2.89, p = .02) and greater academic achievement (F(5, 70) = 4.09, p = .003) compared to those without musical training. DTI results revealed that musical training was associated with higher mode (F(1, 48) = 5.82, p = 0.02) in the right PCG to STGp tract of the arcuate fasciculus (AF), although the relationship was marginally significant following Benjamini-Hochberg correction. Together, these results provide both behavioral and neural evidence for the relationship between musical training and cognition in a sample of preadolescents.