Whether you're a musicophile or neuro enthusiast, take your seat in the audience as the 'orchestra' performs the profound 'symphony' between music and mind!
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14 May 2024
7 Min Read
Esther Ng (Guest Contributor), Nellie Chan (Editor)
Whether you're a musicophile or neuro enthusiast, take your seat in the audience as the 'orchestra' performs the profound 'symphony' between music and mind!
Music permeates our lives in ways we may not always realise. It serves as the soundtrack to our memories, seamlessly intertwined with the people we've known, the places we've been, and the moments we've lived — much like how a simple melody can transport us back to carefree days spent with childhood friends. However, music possesses a power that transcends mere sentimentality; it's deeply rooted in the biology of our brains.
While traditionally regarded as distinct disciplines, the convergence of music and neuroscience has emerged as a fascinating frontier of inquiry, blurring the boundaries between the arts and sciences. Through research into music and the neural pathways it engages, scientists have uncovered the complex mechanisms governing our cognitive processes, emotional responses, and even our predispositions toward certain behaviours.
When we listen to music, various regions in the brain activate and collaborate to interpret its sound waves. These waves are detected by tiny hair cells in the ear, converted into electrical signals, and then relayed along the auditory nerve to the brain. Upon arrival, these signals are processed in the auditory cortex, where familiar patterns and structures in the music, including melodies, harmonies, and rhythms, are identified.
The perception of melody, characterised by the 'pitch contour' — the rising and falling pattern of pitches — is often associated with processing in the right hemisphere (of the brain). Conversely, the perception of consonance, the harmonious combination of pitches, is attributed to the left hemisphere's capacity to process pitch intervals. By analysing the frequency between pitches, the brain can discern the consonance or dissonance of these intervals. Some studies suggest that consonance involves 'coincidence detection', where two or more inputs synchronously converge on a neuron. When consonant intervals are played simultaneously, their sound waves may reach the ear at similar times, prompting the synchronised firing of neurons. This synchronised firing is hypothesised to contribute to the neural processing underlying the perception of consonance.
Similar to perceiving pitch, the brain contains specialised neural mechanisms for perceiving rhythm. There is a hierarchical organisation for analysing rhythmic patterns, spanning from simple, repetitive beats to more complex, intricate structures. Specific brain regions, such as the left temporoparietal junction and left hippocampus, are implicated in rhythm detection, enabling the recognition of simple and complex rhythmic patterns. On the other hand, regions such as the cerebellum and basal ganglia are involved in rhythm reproduction, facilitating the accurate execution of rhythmic movements or actions.
The perennial debate of nature versus nurture takes a melodic turn when delving into neurobiology and musical talent. Neural pathways, encompassing connections within the brain that support musical perception, production, and learning, evolve over time in response to musical training. Yet, interestingly, these pathways can manifest even before training begins.
Studies have shown that white matter organisation within the corticospinal tract, a major neural pathway responsible for voluntary motor control, indicates a biological predisposition for musical talent in adults. This organisation enables the fine, skilled movements of the limbs and digits necessary for playing musical instruments.
However, research also shows that musical practice plays a pivotal role in enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of this neural pathway. So, the next time you experience a captivating musical performance, remember that it's not solely the product of innate talent (nature) but also the result of countless hours of practice (nurture) and a profound love for the art!
Exploring the interconnected relationship between music and language reveals parallels in the neural mechanisms that underlie both. Notably, brain regions responsible for speech and language processing, such as Broca's area, Wernicke's area, and the angular gyrus, also demonstrate connections to music perception. Studies on individuals with amusia, a condition impairing pitch processing, found that music and tonal languages share a neural mechanism for pitch processing. Another research shows that musicians have an enhanced ability to understand speech in noisy environments, emphasising the impact of musical training on speech perception. This finding supports the OPERA hypothesis, which suggests that musical training improves neural networks involved in sound processing and, consequently, speech processing.
The effect of music on our emotions stems from its complex processing by the brain. Among the many brain regions involved, the amygdala — a major processing centre for emotions — collaborates with regions like the ventral tegmental area and orbitofrontal cortex, contributing significantly to our emotional responses to music. Similar to its responses to familiar faces or comforting scents, the amygdala is activated by music, assisting us in discerning and distinguishing between positive and negative emotional cues embedded within it. This process subtly shapes our musical preferences, influencing the types of music we gravitate towards and the emotional experiences they evoke.
Moreover, music can activate our brain's reward system, which includes regions such as the nucleus accumbens (often referred to as the brain's pleasure centre) and the ventral tegmental area. When we listen to music we enjoy, the ventral tegmental area is stimulated, triggering the release of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens. This release of dopamine creates a pleasurable sensation, explaining why listening to music we enjoy feels rewarding. Furthermore, when a familiar song evokes positive memories, the hippocampus can reactivate the neural connections associated with those memories, including the connection between the memory and the song itself, thereby activating the brain's reward system. The subsequent release of dopamine reinforces the positive feelings associated with the music and the memory, creating a feedback loop. Therefore, musical nostalgia isn't just a cultural phenomenon; it's a neural command.
Music has a longstanding history as a therapeutic tool. The profession of music therapist emerged after World War I, with community musicians performing for veterans suffering from physical and emotional trauma. By the 1970s, music therapy expanded its clientele to include elderly individuals and patients with medical conditions. Today, music therapy is well established as an intervention method, benefiting individuals dealing with various conditions by improving their quality of life. Music therapy approaches can range from active participation in music creation to passive engagement through music enjoyment.
Music's capacity to engage multiple brain regions makes it a potent tool for neurorehabilitation. Neuroplasticity, the brain's ability to undergo structural and functional changes in response to experiences, is crucial to understanding how music therapy can facilitate recovery. When individuals listen to music, various brain regions, including the prefrontal cortex, auditory cortex, motor cortex, and limbic system, become active simultaneously. This synchronised activation not only strengthens existing neural connections but also encourages the formation of new ones.
Studies have illustrated the phenomenon of functional reorganisation in the brains of musicians. It revealed that pianists and violinists exhibited a higher representation of specific frequencies relevant to their instruments in their auditory cortex than non-musicians. This finding suggests that the repetitive practice of playing these instruments prompted the brain to adapt and modify its structure and function to optimise the musical experience. In this instance, the brain reconfigured the auditory cortex to prioritise processing the sounds associated with playing those instruments.
Music has been studied as an intervention technique to alleviate negative emotional symptoms in individuals suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). When traumatic memories are not properly processed, they can resurface unexpectedly, causing flashbacks triggered by seemingly ordinary events. Music can help individuals reprocess these memories, serving to contain and compartmentalise them. This process reduces the emotional intensity of the memories and assists individuals in incorporating them into their psychological framework in a less distressing manner, thereby minimising disruption to their daily lives. Moreover, therapists utilise music to aid patients with dementia in accessing memories from their past, as music has been shown to evoke feelings of nostalgia and facilitate memory retrieval.
While our understanding of the neuroscience of music may still be far from complete, one truth remains resoundingly clear: music wields an undeniable influence on our lives. It writes itself into the composition of our experiences, shaping our cognition, emotion, and behaviour in ways both nuanced and profound. From the crescendo of euphoric highs to the decrescendo of melancholic lows, music assumes the role of a conductor, orchestrating a symphony of neural responses within our brains. It stirs our thoughts, emotions, and actions, resonating within the depths of our being. And at the heart of its power lie the mysteries of the mind — mysteries that science can only begin to explain.
Esther Ng Yi Ke pursued a Bachelor of Biomedical Science (Honours) at Taylor's University before transferring to the University of Bristol. She combines her passion for advocacy with her love for writing to craft impactful narratives that inspire change and promote inclusivity within society.
