Language, Music and Dementia (2025-2026)

Background

The question of how language and music are represented in the human brain is one of the more challenging problems of contemporary cognitive neuroscience and neurolinguistics. During the past two decades, advances in neuroimaging technology have produced a greater understanding of higher cognition, including language and music.

This project is unique in bringing together behavioral and neuroimaging research on language and music in both healthy subjects and patients with dementia. With recent studies showing that dementia affects approximately one in ten adults ages 65 and older in the United States – and over 55 million people worldwide – it is increasingly important to understand how language and music correlate with reduced prevalence of this condition.

Project Description

Building on the work of previous teams, this project team will use a combination of neuroimaging and behavioral data to establish language and music mappings in professional or high-proficiency musicians who are either monolingual or bi-/multilingual; and examine the effect of musical training and bi-/multilingualism on dementia and cognitive impairment.

This team’s experimental design includes data collection from human subjects through the use of neuroimaging, such as fMRI, DTI, rsfMRI and EEG, as well as behavioral data, such as interviews, recordings and language proficiency testing. The imaging protocol is designed to elucidate how languages and musicianship are processed in the human brain, including potential interactions in sensory-motor networks. The behavioral data collected from musicians will establish a relationship between extensive musical training and its possible advantageous effects on dementia symptoms.

Anticipated Outputs

Peer-reviewed articles; neuroimaging and behavioral data; improved protocol design for studying cognitive reserve

Student Opportunities

Ideally, this project team will include 1-2 graduate students and 10 undergraduate students. Applicants might include undergraduates from disciplines such as neuroscience, linguistics and music; medical students; and residents and fellows in geriatrics, neurology or neurosurgery.

Students will have the opportunity to work across all research protocols, including behavioral data collection on multilingualism and musicianship; active learning of EEG technologies, data collection and analysis using NeuroGuide software; and comparisons of results from healthy subjects and patients. Students are expected to participate in both data collection and analysis, as well as in efforts leading to publications and grant applications. They may also have the opportunity to gain presentation experience at conferences.

During full team meetings, students will participate in a journal club and discuss related academic literature as well as any obstacles they are facing in their research. Team members will be empowered to take ownership over specific aspects of each project.

This project includes an optional summer component in 2025. Participants will be expected to work up to 15 hours per week for one month.

Timing

Fall 2025 – Spring 2026

• Fall 2025: Collect and analyze fMRI, DTI, rsfMRI and EEG data
• Spring 2026: Continue data collection and analysis; draft manuscript

Crediting

Academic credit available for fall and spring semesters; summer funding available

See earlier related team, Language, Music and Dementia (2024-2025).