Functional Neural Architecture of Working Memory in Musicians: An ALE Meta-Analysis and Review.
Overview
- Bond University Gold Coast Queensland Australia
- Macquarie University Sydney New South Wales Australia
Abstract
Musical expertise is often associated with enhanced cognitive abilities, underpinned by neural mechanisms unique to musicians. Research has provided evidence of associations between musical training and functional aspects of cognition. However, the neural changes associated with musical expertise, particularly in relation to working memory, remain poorly understood. To address this gap, we conducted an activation likelihood estimation (ALE) meta‐analysis to examine differences in functional neural activity between musicians and non‐musicians during working memory tasks. Meta‐analytic connectivity modeling (MACM) was conducted to explore broader networks of co‐activation associated with regions of interest identified during the initial ALE meta‐analysis. Nine functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies, including 228 participants (113 musicians and 115 non‐musicians), were included in the final analysis. Musicians exhibited hyperactivations in the right medial frontal gyrus and hypoactivations across the right middle occipital gyrus, the right precentral gyrus, the left inferior parietal lobule, the right claustrum, and the left cerebellum during working memory tasks. MACM revealed distributed networks of co‐activation with links to various cognitive functions across regions of interest uncovered by the ALE analysis. Based on these findings, we propose that distinct functional networks and enhanced neural efficiency in musicians may support working memory performance across the lifespan.
This article is categorized under: Neuroscience > Cognition Psychology > Development and Aging Cognitive Biology > Cognitive Development
Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY), from the paper cited above.
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Data
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Data Availability Statement
The data that support the findings of this study are openly available in OSF at 10.17605/
Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY), from the paper cited above.
Versions
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Version 2, 28 September 2026
- Publisher: — → Wiley
Version 1, 27 September 2026: the first record
Recorded: type, language, journal, volume, issue, pages, dates, 4 authors, 4 keywords, 7 MeSH terms, 1 funder, 67 references.
Cite
This paper
Wolff, L., Quan, Y., Thompson, W. F., & Baumann, O. (2026). Functional Neural Architecture of Working Memory in Musicians: An ALE Meta-Analysis and Review. Wiley interdisciplinary reviews. Cognitive science, 17(3), e70036. https://
BibTeX
@article{wolff2026functi
author = {Wolff, Lee and Quan, Yixue and Thompson, William Forde and Baumann, Oliver},
title = {{Functional Neural Architecture of Working Memory in Musicians: An ALE Meta-Analysis and Review}},
journal = {Wiley interdisciplinary reviews. Cognitive science},
year = {2026},
month = may,
volume = {17},
number = {3},
pages = {e70036},
publisher = {Wiley},
issn = {1939-5078},
doi = {10.1002/
url = {https://
pmid = {42289269},
pmcid = {PMC13265137}
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
AU - Wolff, Lee
AU - Quan, Yixue
AU - Thompson, William Forde
AU - Baumann, Oliver
TI - Functional Neural Architecture of Working Memory in Musicians: An ALE Meta-Analysis and Review
T2 - Wiley interdisciplinary reviews. Cognitive science
J2 - Wiley Interdiscip Rev Cogn Sci
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/
VL - 17
IS - 3
SP - e70036
SN - 1939-5078
PB - Wiley
DO - 10.1002/
UR - https://
LA - en
ER -
CSL-JSON
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