Discuss Neural Correlates Of Listening To Happy And Sad Music

Question 1

What has research on music found?

Answer 1

• There are different neural correlates when PPs listen to happy compared to sad music
• More activity produced in different parts of the brain

Question 2

Blood and Zatorre (2001)

Answer 2

-Pleasant music produced greater activity in:
•Medial cingulate cortex
•Right orbitofrontal cortex

-Unpleasant music produced greater activity in:
•Left posterior cingulate cortex
•Right parahippocampal gyrus

Question 3

Koelsch (2011)

Answer 3

-Music triggers activity in:
•Orbitofrontal cortex
•Cingulate cortex
•Parahippocampal gyrus
•Nucleus accumbens
•Amygdala

Question 4

Mitterschiffthaler et al (2007), Brattico et al (2012), Park et al (2013)

Answer 4

-Areas activated when listening to happy music:
•Cingulate cortex
•Superior temporal gyrus
•The precuneus
•Structures belonging to the reard circuit and limbic system, e.g. ventral striatum and the insula

Question 5

Khalfa et al (2005), Mitterschiffthaler et al (2007), Brattico et al (2011)

Answer 5

When listening to sad music, neural activity in:
•Superior temporal gyrus
•Cingulate cortex
•The hippocampas
•Amygdala
•Paralimbic and reward structures such as ventromedial prefrontal cortex, caudate and thalamus

Question 6

Brattico et al (2016)

Answer 6

-Research looking for neural correlates of sadness and happiness in music consistently highlight the role of medial frontal cortices, amygdala and striatum in generating these emotions

Question 7

Cingulate cortex

Answer 7

-Involved in emotion formation

•Listening to happy and sad music will produce the emotions respectively

Question 8

Orbitofrontal cortex

Answer 8

• Involved in suppressing negative emotions
• Sends output from sensory input to other brain areas, such as hypothalamus and amygdala

•Listening to happy music produces happy emotions and may suppress any negative emotion from listening to music

Question 9

Parahippocampal gyrus, the hippocampus and amygdala

Answer 9

• All play roles in emotional processes and responses
• Amygdala is especially known for playing a role in negative emotions, e.g fear and sadness, so listening to sad music may produce neural activity in these areas which in turn produces the negative/sad emotions associated with listening to sad music