Shared and distinct patterns of cortical morphometric inverse divergence and their association with empathy in dancers and musicians

Neuroimaging research has demonstrated that long-term dance and music training can induce structural changes in the brain. However, most previous studies have focused on isolated structural metrics, neglecting the interregional similarities across cortical areas. In this study, we applied a novel morphometric measure, Morphometric Inverse Divergence (MIND), to assess cortical structural similarity in individuals with professional dance or music training. A total of 89 participants were incorporated in the study, including 25 dancers, 24 musicians, and 40 healthy controls (HC). Our findings showed that both dancers and musicians exhibited higher MIND values compared to HC, with musicians displaying significant differences particularly in the default mode network and somatomotor network. Furthermore, MIND values between the insula and superior parietal lobule, as well as between the superior frontal gyrus and cingulate gyrus, were positively correlated with the total IRI score and the Fantasy subscale. Both shared and distinct MIND patterns were identified between dancers and musicians. Musicians exhibited greater structural similarity in auditory cortical regions, whereas dancers showed increased similarity in visual and kinesthetic areas. Importantly, only the dancer group demonstrated a significant association between MIND values and empathic imagination. These findings provide new insights into how long-term artistic training influences cortical structure and social cognitive abilities.