A beginner’s violin lesson may seem worlds apart from dementia research, yet wearable brain scans are revealing signals that could help scientists understand both learning and neurological disease.

Playing a familiar tune on a violin is no simple task for someone who has never held the instrument. Each movement must produce the intended sound, and the brain has to learn how to coordinate those movements. Researchers at the University of Nottingham have now captured changes in brain activity as beginners learned to play, revealing measurable differences after just one violin lesson.

The study, published in the journal Imaging Neuroscience, involved 22 novice violin players. Using a wearable brain scanner, the scientists tracked patterns of neural activity while participants attempted to play “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.” They found that those who improved the most also showed the greatest changes in certain brain signals associated with movement and learning.