Enhanced Contour-Deviant Mismatch Negativity and Mnemonic Representations in Older Musicians

Instrumental music performance is associated with enhanced perceptual processing as evidenced by auditory discrimination and speech-in-noise perception. However, little is known about the extent to which auditory perceptual processes support cognition in aging....

✦ Clinical Takeaway ✦

No immediate change to audiology practice is indicated; findings support the mechanistic link between lifelong music training and preserved auditory discrimination in aging, but do not yet support recommending music training as a clinical intervention for age-related hearing difficulties.

✦ Why It Matters ✦

Understanding how musical experience shapes auditory brain function in older adults may inform future aural rehabilitation strategies and cognitive hearing science for an aging population.

✦ Key Points ✦

01Older musicians showed enhanced contour-deviant mismatch negativity (MMN) — a brain signal reflecting automatic detection of sound pattern changes.
02Enhanced MMN was linked to better mnemonic (memory-based) auditory representations in the musician group.
03Findings suggest music training may help preserve auditory discrimination abilities in aging.
04Musicians also demonstrated superior speech-in-noise perception compared with non-musician peers.
05Published in European Journal of Neuroscience (2026); cross-sectional design limits causal conclusions.

✦ Claims & Evidence ✦

ClaimEvidenceSupport

Older musicians exhibit enhanced contour-deviant mismatch negativity compared to non-musicians.

studysupported

Enhanced auditory mnemonic representations in older musicians are linked to better speech-in-noise perception.

studypartially supported

Instrumental music performance is associated with preserved auditory discrimination in older adults.

studypartially supported

✦ Research metadata ✦

PMID: 42304167
DOI: 10.1111/ejn.70576.
Journal: European Journal of Neuroscience
Publication type: research_article
Evidence level: 3
Population: Older adult musicians and non-musician controls
Intervention: Lifelong instrumental music performance (musician vs. non-musician comparison)
Comparator: Older adult non-musicians

Primary outcomes

Contour-deviant mismatch negativity (MMN) amplitude; Mnemonic auditory representations; Speech-in-noise perception

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