The Dancing Brain

Neural Correlates of Dance

Dancing is most definitely my favorite form of art. It is actually one of the few forms that can be placed in both the categories of arts and sports (maybe we should start calling it a ‘spart’!). Dancing beautifully integrates complex motor learning and memory, rhythmic musical synchronization, and creative emotional expression. As a neuroscientist and a dancer, I feel compelled to summarize here the links between these two fascinating fields and some interesting features of the dancing brain.

Dance Performance

Not surprisingly, the brain areas that are activated during dancing are mostly the ones involved in the planning and execution of movements (motor cortex and basal ganglia), in receiving feedback from the muscles (somatosensory cortex), and in the fine tuning and coordination of movements (cerebellum) [1].

Brown and colleagues looked more deeply into which brain areas are activated by particular aspects of dancing. They placed amateur tango dancers in a positron emission tomography scanner while performing leg movements on a designed apparatus. The putamen (part of the basal ganglia) was strongly activated only when the subject danced to regular, metric music, but not to an irregular rhythm. The cerebellum was implicated in matching dance steps to music and the superior parietal lobule was engaged in spatial guidance of leg motions [2].These findings suggest that different areas of the central nervous system are responsible for the control of specific and distinct tasks in dancing.

Source: Chris Gash

Dance Observation

Other neuroimaging studies observed the brain's response to visual observation of dance. Dancers trained in either ballet or capoeira (a Brazilian martial art) and non-dancers watched videos of both these styles while their brains were scanned. All subjects showed activation of brain areas involved in action observation and simulation networks – the “mirror neuron system”.

However, activation of these areas was stronger in dance experts and even stronger when the dancers saw movements they had been trained to perform, compared to watching movements they were unfamiliar with. There was no difference in the brain activity of non-dancers while watching ballet or capoeira [3]. This shows that even passive observation of dance activates movement areas in the brain as if you were moving yourself, and that dancers have an enhanced neural representation of their personal motor repertoire.

With Practice Comes Adaptation

An interesting study showed that the brain of ballet dancers adapts to prevent them from feeling dizzy. Brain scans revealed that the vestibular cerebellum, an area responsible for the perception of dizziness, is smaller in dancers compared to non-dancers [4]. This demonstrates that even the vestibular response is sensitive to training. Also, skilled dancers depend less on vision for postural control compared to non-dancers. Instead, they rely on their highly accurate proprioception – the sense of awareness of body parts’ positions in space [5].

DANCING INCREASES NEURAL CONNECTIVITY

Professional dancers are also trained with motor techniques to perform highly demanding moves in apparently effortless ways. An electromyography study showed that, when performing swinging leg movements, skilled ballet dancers selectively applied minimal muscle tension at the very same position where the sway force was maximal. This means that they learn to optimize motor function and consequently reduce energy costs in terms of force and muscle contraction [6].

Benefits of Dancing

Several studies have observed better balance, posture, proprioception, and cardio-respiratory resistance in dancers compared to non-dancers. But don’t think you would have to become a professional to profit from these benefits. Even short episodes of breakdance training increase balance skills in young amateurs [7].

Dance practice has the potential to improve not only motor, but also cognitive skills. An impressive 21-year study showed that frequent dancing is highly protective against dementias, such as Alzheimer’s disease, lowering the risk as much as 76%! It was also found to be much more beneficial than doing crossword puzzles (47% reduced risk), reading (35%) or swimming or bicycling (0% – no difference at all) [8].

DANCERS RELY ON PROPRIOCEPTION MORE THAN VISION

Neuroplasticity is likely responsible for this effect. When we dance, we enrich our brain, making split-second decisions and creating new synapses and neural paths that become especially valuable as we age.

Dancing is not only physically demanding, it is cognitively demanding as well. So when you dance, you are exercising both your body and your brain. Regular dance training makes you improve innumerable motor and cognitive skills, contributes to brain plasticity, and enhances social interaction. And, all health benefits aside, dancing is simply fun! How much better can it possibly get?

[1] Hänggi et al, Hum Brain Mapp, 2010
[2] Brown et al, Cereb Cortex, 2006
[3] Calvo-Merino et al, Cereb Cortex, 2005
[4] Nigmatullina et al, Cereb Cortex, 2013
[5] Golomer and Dupui, Int J Neurosci, 2000
[6] Lepelley et al, Exp Brain Res, 2006
[7] Ricotti and Ravaschio, Gait Posture, 2011
[8] Verghese et al, N Engl J Med, 2003

by Mariana Cerdeira, PhD Student AG Harms

This article originally appeared 2015 in CNS Volume 8, Issue 2, Art. And the Brain.