Music Training and Child Development Study

Not Applicable

Active, not recruiting

• Conditions: Music

• Registration Number: NCT05502939
• Lead Sponsor: University of Southern California

Brief Summary

This proposed study aims to provide a definitive answer to whether music training benefits brain development, particularly brain inhibition control circuitry and its related health outcomes using a randomized control trial design.

In the study, 114 children between ages 6-8 from underserved communities of LA will be randomly assigned to a 24-month:(1) community-focused after school music training group focused on a traditional strings curriculum at the Colburn school in Los Angeles (MG) or (2) a control group (CG) after-school program comprising of visual arts, book club, ethnic and cultural studies and theater without specific focus on systematic music training or sports. Imaging data will be collected at before and after the intervention (24 months), behavioral assessments will be conducted before the intervention and yearly afterwards, and mid-intervention evaluations will be performed every six months throughout the study.

Detailed Description

The investigators will use an RCT design to investigate effects of a music training intervention on brain inhibition control circuitry. Throughout R61(N=40) and R33 (N=74) phases, 114 children between ages 6-8 from under-served communities of LA will be randomly assigned to a 24-month: (1) community-focused after school music training group focused on a traditional strings curriculum at the Colburn school in Los Angeles (MG) or (2) a control group (CG) after-school program comprising of visual arts, book club, ethnic and cultural studies and theater without specific focus on systematic music training or sports. Imaging data will be collected at before and after the intervention (24 months), behavioral assessments will be conducted before the intervention and yearly afterwards, and mid-intervention evaluations will be performed every six months throughout the study.

The investigators anticipate that the R61 phase will take 2 years and R33 will take 3 years to complete. The goal of the R61 phase is to evaluate the feasibility of executing the RCT. Comprehensive behavioral and imaging data will be collected at pre- and post-intervention, and mid-intervention evaluations will be performed every six months throughout the study. The combined R61/R33 phases will include 114 participants and will ultimately provide much needed guidance on the development of larger trials in the field.

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2022-08-10
• Study First Submitted QC: 2022-08-12
• Study First Posted: 2022-08-16
• Study Start: 2022-09-11
• Status Verified: 2025-06
• Last Update Submitted: 2025-06-27
• Last Update Posted: 2025-07-02
• Primary Completion: 2027-10-01
• Study Completion: 2027-10-01

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 114

Inclusion Criteria

• normal IQ (standard score of >85 in the Abbreviated Wechsler's Scale of Intelligence)
• Hispanic/Latino living in LA within 2 miles radius of the location of the music and the afterschool programs
• low SES as defined by Hollingshead Index cumulative score below 29
• ages 6-8

Exclusion Criteria

• current diagnosis of neurological or psychiatric disorders
• prior engagement in formal and systematic music training for more than 6 months
• previous or current diagnosis of severe hearing loss defined as air conduction thresholds greater than 60 dB HL through 8 kHz or- severe vision loss that is not correctable with prescription eyeglasses or contact lenses
• non-removable, non-MRI compatible body parts
• Claustrophobia

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
brain inhibition control networks	24 months	The primary outcome will be %change in blood-oxygen-level-dependent signal in the brain frontal circuits including the DLPFC, ACC and pre-SMA/SMA evaluated during the two inhibition control tasks.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
inhibition control as measured by reaction time	24 months	Stop signal reaction time during stop signal task
inhibition control as measured by delayed gratification	24 months	discounting rate from delay gratification task

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Brain and Creativity Institute; 🇺🇸 Los Angeles, California, United States