20–21 Apr 2026
Goethe University
Europe/Berlin timezone

MUGEN: Ultra-High-Field Multimodal Imaging of Musical Expertise

20 Apr 2026, 14:45
1h 30m
Casino Festsaal (Goethe University)

Casino Festsaal

Goethe University

Campus Westend Theodor-W.-Adorno-Platz 2 60323 Frankfurt am Main CoBIC Heinrich-Hoffmann-Straße 9 60528 Frankfurt am Main

Speaker

Ana Clemente (Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics)

Description

Expert performance reflects profound adaptations across sensory, cognitive, and motor systems, yet the neurobiological architecture of human expertise remains poorly understood. Using musicianship as a model of highly trained human performance, this project investigates what distinguishes the expert brain after years of intensive practice. Leveraging ultra-high-field MRI, we aim to deliver the most comprehensive in-vivo characterization of the neurobiology of musical expertise to date. By integrating advanced anatomical and functional imaging protocols, the project will map brain organization across macro- and mesoscopic scales with unprecedented spatial precision. Organized into complementary modules targeting distinct aspects of brain structure and function, this work will generate a rich multimodal brain phenotyping dataset, providing new insights into how long-term training reshapes the human brain.

Authors

Ana Clemente (Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics) Dimo Ivanov (Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics) Fredrik Ullén (Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics)

Presentation materials

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