Abstract
ABSTRACT It is assumed that singing is a highly complex activity, which requires the activation and interconnection of sensorimotor areas. The aim of the current research was to present the evidence from neuroimaging studies in the performance of the motor and sensory system in the process of singing. Research articles on the characteristics of human singing analyzed by neuroimaging, which were published between 1990 and 2016, and indexed and listed in databases such as PubMed, BIREME, Lilacs, Web of Science, Scopus, and EBSCO were chosen for this systematic review. A total of 9 articles, employing magnetoencephalography, functional magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography, and electrocorticography were chosen. These neuroimaging approaches enabled the identification of a neural network interconnecting the spoken and singing voice, to identify, modulate, and correct pitch. This network changed with the singer's training, variations in melodic structure and harmonized singing, amusia, and the relationship among the brain areas that are responsible for speech, singing, and the persistence of musicality. Since knowledge of the neural networks that control singing is still scarce, the use of neuroimaging methods to elucidate these pathways should be a focus of future research.
Highlights
Singing is a specialized vocal behavior, which is only present in a very limited range of animals, including man and diverse species of birds
Research articles on the characteristics of human singing analyzed by neuroimaging, which were published between 1990 and 2016, and indexed and listed in databases such as PubMed, BIREME, Lilacs, Web of Science, Scopus, and EBSCO were chosen for this systematic review
A total of 9 articles, employing magnetoencephalography, functional magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography, and electrocorticography were chosen. These neuroimaging approaches enabled the identification of a neural network interconnecting the spoken and singing voice, to identify, modulate, and correct pitch
Summary
Singing is a specialized vocal behavior, which is only present in a very limited range of animals, including man and diverse species of birds. Singing animals can be differentiated into the following two groups on the basis of song learning: those that learn only for a period, and those that learn their whole lives[1] By comparing these two groups, along with non-singing birds, song learning has emerged as a new evolutionary characteristic, which depends on the formation of new neural centers of control[2]. The most likely hypothesis is that the system of human singing is a new neural specialization, which is analogous to the singing system of birds[1,2] This specialization derives, among other factors, from man’s ability to exercise volitional control of vocal fundamental frequency, especially when singing without words, such as an arpeggio, which is crucially dependent on the movements of the vocal folds[3]
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