Understanding Vivaldi's cognitive and neurobiological effects through behavioral and neuroimaging biomarker lenses: A narrative review

Lim, ECN; Lim, CED

Understanding Vivaldi's cognitive and neurobiological effects through behavioral and neuroimaging biomarker lenses: A narrative review

Lim, ECN Lim, CED

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Publisher:: Elsevier
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: NeuroMarkers, 2025, pp. 100129
Issue Date:: 2025-11

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Lim, ECN
dc.contributor.author	Lim, CED
dc.date.accessioned	2026-01-13T05:41:51Z
dc.date.available	2026-01-13T05:41:51Z
dc.date.issued	2025-11
dc.identifier.citation	NeuroMarkers, 2025, pp. 100129
dc.identifier.issn	2950-5887
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/191742
dc.description.abstract	Research has demonstrated that Antonio Vivaldi's Four Seasons concertos boost attention and working memory in young and older populations. Neuroimaging biomarkers derived from electroencephalography, functional magnetic resonance imaging, and other neurophysiological techniques have illustrated that Vivaldi's cheerful "Spring" concerto accelerates reaction times, heightens alertness, and stimulates brain activity in regions related to emotion and memory. Quantitative electroencephalography biomarkers reveal enhanced P3a and P3b components during music exposure, indicating improved novelty detection and memory updating processes. Functional connectivity analyses demonstrate that Baroque music stimulates the auditory, motor, and limbic brain circuits due to the repetitive rhythm characteristic of this musical form. Neuroimaging biomarkers of dopaminergic activity show increased activation in reward pathways while listening to Vivaldi's music, which is correlated with improved cognitive performance. In particular, Vivaldi's music has been incorporated into assisted therapy for the elderly to enhance memory, decrease cortisol levels and reduce stress, and aid those with brain injuries in neurorehabilitation, with neuroimaging biomarkers providing objective measures of therapeutic efficacy. Although some studies have conflicting conclusions and benefits that may vary depending on the participants and task context, there is sufficient evidence that Vivaldi's Baroque repertoire is relevant to cognitive psychology and neuroscience. This article aims to give a comprehensive review of the neurobiological mechanisms, neuroimaging biomarkers, and cognitive effects of Vivaldi's music. It presents some contradictory perspectives and research gaps, discussing the future of music therapy and the use of artificial intelligence in interpreting music-brain effects. This review is unique in its focus on the cognitive and neurobiological effects of Baroque music, particularly Vivaldi's Four Seasons, a masterpiece that has received very limited dedicated research despite its global recognition.
dc.language	en
dc.publisher	Elsevier
dc.relation.ispartof	NeuroMarkers
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1016/j.neumar.2025.100129
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.title	Understanding Vivaldi's cognitive and neurobiological effects through behavioral and neuroimaging biomarker lenses: A narrative review
dc.type	Journal Article
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science/School of Life Sciences
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
dc.rights.license	This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
dc.date.updated	2026-01-13T05:41:49Z
pubs.publication-status	Published

Abstract:

Research has demonstrated that Antonio Vivaldi's Four Seasons concertos boost attention and working memory in young and older populations. Neuroimaging biomarkers derived from electroencephalography, functional magnetic resonance imaging, and other neurophysiological techniques have illustrated that Vivaldi's cheerful "Spring" concerto accelerates reaction times, heightens alertness, and stimulates brain activity in regions related to emotion and memory. Quantitative electroencephalography biomarkers reveal enhanced P3a and P3b components during music exposure, indicating improved novelty detection and memory updating processes. Functional connectivity analyses demonstrate that Baroque music stimulates the auditory, motor, and limbic brain circuits due to the repetitive rhythm characteristic of this musical form. Neuroimaging biomarkers of dopaminergic activity show increased activation in reward pathways while listening to Vivaldi's music, which is correlated with improved cognitive performance. In particular, Vivaldi's music has been incorporated into assisted therapy for the elderly to enhance memory, decrease cortisol levels and reduce stress, and aid those with brain injuries in neurorehabilitation, with neuroimaging biomarkers providing objective measures of therapeutic efficacy. Although some studies have conflicting conclusions and benefits that may vary depending on the participants and task context, there is sufficient evidence that Vivaldi's Baroque repertoire is relevant to cognitive psychology and neuroscience. This article aims to give a comprehensive review of the neurobiological mechanisms, neuroimaging biomarkers, and cognitive effects of Vivaldi's music. It presents some contradictory perspectives and research gaps, discussing the future of music therapy and the use of artificial intelligence in interpreting music-brain effects. This review is unique in its focus on the cognitive and neurobiological effects of Baroque music, particularly Vivaldi's Four Seasons, a masterpiece that has received very limited dedicated research despite its global recognition.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/191742