Health | Psychology
Music on the
Brain
New research reveals insight
into the effects music has on
the human brain and how
it effects different brains in
unique ways.
I
By Michael D. Lemonick
t’s hard to exaggerate
the effect music can
have on the human
brain. A mere snippet
of song from the past
can trigager memories
as vivid as anything
Proust experienced from
the aroma of his petite
madeleine. A tune can
induce emotions ranging
from unabashed joy to
deep sorrow and can
drive listeners into states
of patriotic fervor or
religious frenzy—to say
nothing of its legendary
ability to soothe the
savage beast.
Yet in spite of music’s
remarkable influence
on the human psyche,
scientists have spent
little time attempting
to understand why it
possesses such potency.
“We tend to think of
56
“We tend to think of music as an art or a
cultural attribute, but it is a complex human
behavior that is as worthy of scientific study
as any other.”
Robert Zatorre, neuroscientist at McGill University.
What seems clear is that of music in very specific
the ability to experience ways. Experiments
and react to music is done on epileptics
deeply embedded in the decades ago showed
biology of the nervous that stimulating certain
system. While music
tends to be processed
areas of the temporal
lobe on both sides of
mostly in the right the brain awakened
hemisphere of the brain, “musical memories”—
no single set of cells vivid re-creations
is devoted to the task. of melodies that the
Different networks of patients had heard years
neurons are activated, earlier. Lesions in the
depending on whether temporal lobe can result
a person is listening in so-called musicogenic
music as an art or a to music or playing an epilepsy, an extremely
cultural attribute,” instrument, and whether rare form of the disorder
notes Robert Zatorre, a or not the music involves in which seizures are
neuroscientist at McGill lyrics. triggered by the sound
University in Montreal, of music. Autism
“but it is a complex Specific brain disorders offers an even greater
human behavior that is as can affect the perception puzzle. People with this
worthy of scientific study
Image from Harvard Health
as any other.”
That’s why Zatorre
helped organize a
conference, “The
Biological Foundations
of Music,” sponsored last
week by the New York
Academy of Sciences,
at which experts in
disciplines ranging
from neuroscience
and neurology to brain
imaging and psychology
met to exchange notes
about what’s known—
and, more important,
what remains to be
learned—in this small
but growing field.
TIME, MAY 4, 2008
Image from Sweetwater

condition are mentally psychologist Isabelle measuring faint magnetic PET scanners, Zatorre
deficient, yet most are Peretz of the University fields emitted by the has shown that the parts
proficient musicians; of Montreal. “They can’t brains of professional of the brain involved in
some are “musical dance, and they can’t tell musicians, a team led processing emotion seem
savants” possessed of the difference between by Christo Pantev of the to light up with activity
extraordinary talent. consonance [harmony] University of Muenster’s when a subject hears
and dissonance either. Institute of Experimental music.
The opposite is true of They all appear to have Audiology in Germany
the less than 1% of the been born without has shown that intensive As tantalizing as these
population who suffer the wiring necessary practice of an instrument bits of research are, they
from amusia, or true tone to process music.” leads to discernible barely begin to address
deafness. They literally Intriguingly, people enlargement of parts of the mysteries of music
cannot recognize a with amusia show no the cerebral cortex, the and the brain, including
melody, let alone tell two overt signs of brain layer of gray matter most the deepest question
of them apart, and they damage or short-term- closely associated with of all: Why do we
are incapable of repeating memory impairment, higher brain function. appreciate music? Did
a song (although they and magnetic-resonance- our musical ancestors
think they are doing it imaging scans of their As for music’s emotional have an evolutionary
correctly). Even simple, brains look normal. impact, there is some edge over their tin-eared
familiar tunes such as indication that music can fellows? Or is music,
Frere Jacques and Happy There is evidently affect levels of various as M.I.T. neuroscientist
Birthday are mystifying no way to help these hormones, including Steven Pinker
to amusics, but when the unfortunate folks cortisol (involved in asserts, just “auditory
lyrics are spoken rather (though, admittedly, arousal and stress), cheesecake,” with no
than sung, amusics are they don’t know what testosterone (aggression biological value? Given
able to recognize the they’re missing). But for and arousal) and oxytocin music’s central role in
song immediately. instrumentalists, at least, (nurturing behavior) as most of our lives, it’s
music can evidently well as trigger release of time that scientists found
“This goes way beyond trigger physical changes the natural opiates known the answers.
an inability to carry in the brain’s wiring. By as endorphins. Using
a tune,” observes
TIME, MAY 4, 2008 57