Lifespan music training experience changes duration and transition rates of EEG microstates related to working memory

Objective Aging-related compensatory scaffolding has been suggested to appear in the prefrontal regions in response to challenges posed by declines in working memory and inhibitory control associated with age. Although the potential mechanism of music intervention in cognitive aging is unclear, its effectiveness in interfering with executive function has been widely proven. A reasonable hypothesis is that music intervention alleviates cognitive aging by affecting compensatory scaffolding related to the prefrontal regions.Methods We recruited three groups of participants: young control, old control, and old musicians, and calculated EEG microstate parameters. We used the classic N-back paradigm to examine subjects’ working memory performance. We also correlated the results of EEG microstates with behavioral data.Results We found a decrease in the duration of microstate D (which has a frontal-central maximum) in all old subjects, which was related to poorer working memory performance. Meanwhile, old musicians benefit from lifespan music training experience and exhibit an opposite alleviating trend to the age effect in this outcome. We also found changes in the transition rate between microstates.Conclusions These results reflect the compensatory scaffolding of the prefrontal regions for other system functions in the process of music intervention in cognitive aging.