title: Acquisition and reacquisition of motor coordination in musicians.
abstract: Precise control of movement timing plays a key role in musical performance. This motor skill requires coordination across multiple joints and muscles, which is acquired through extensive musical training from childhood. However, extensive training has a potential risk of causing neurological disorders that impair fine motor control, such as task-specific tremor and focal dystonia. Recent technological advances in measurement and analysis of biological data, as well as noninvasive manipulation of neuronal activities, have promoted the understanding of computational and neurophysiological mechanisms underlying acquisition, loss, and reacquisition of dexterous movements through musical practice and rehabilitation. This paper aims to provide an overview of the behavioral and neurophysiological basis of motor virtuosity and disorder in musicians, representative extremes of human motor skill. We also report novel evidence of effects of noninvasive neurorehabilitation that combined transcranial direct-current stimulation and motor rehabilitation over multiple days on musician's dystonia, which offers a promising therapeutic means.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Music Physiology and Musicians' Medicine, Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media, Hanover, Germany; Department of Information and Communication Sciences, Sophia University, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Shinichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Furuya
authors.forename: Eckart
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Altenmüller
mesh_terms: D001519:Behavior; D020821:Dystonic Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006225:Hand / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology; D009142:Musculoskeletal Physiological Phenomena; D009146:Music; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D009482:Neurophysiology; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology
keywords: motor control; motor learning; movement disorders; music; neuroplasticity