Brain Training Starting from the Ears — Science Explores the "Focus Brain" of Music Experienced Individuals: How Music Training Enhances Brain Algorithms

A new study from the Karolinska Institute (Science Advances, September 17, 2025) has shown that individuals with music training exhibit stronger neural indicators of top-down attention, allowing them to actively focus on necessary sounds in noisy environments. Conversely, the influence of bottom-up attention, which automatically draws attention to sudden stimuli, is relatively smaller in these individuals. The methodology involved frequency tagging, where two simultaneous melodies were assigned different frequency tags to separate the brain responses corresponding to each sound. Consistent trends were observed across two experiments involving a total of 48 participants. However, due to the cross-sectional nature of the comparison, causality remains undetermined. The study suggests potential applications in education and rehabilitation, proposing concrete strategies such as active listening and noise masking to "train concentration with sound" in real-life situations. While there is enthusiasm from educators, musicians, and affected communities on social media, there are also cautious voices calling for the necessity of long-term interventions.