Revealing spatio-spectral electroencephalographic dynamics of musical mode and tempo perception by independent component analysis

Yuan-Pin Lin,Jeng-Ren Duann,Jyh-Horng Chen,Wenfeng Feng,Tzyy-Ping Jung

doi:10.1186/1743-0003-11-18

Abstract

BackgroundMusic conveys emotion by manipulating musical structures, particularly musical mode- and tempo-impact. The neural correlates of musical mode and tempo perception revealed by electroencephalography (EEG) have not been adequately addressed in the literature.MethodThis study used independent component analysis (ICA) to systematically assess spatio-spectral EEG dynamics associated with the changes of musical mode and tempo.ResultsEmpirical results showed that music with major mode augmented delta-band activity over the right sensorimotor cortex, suppressed theta activity over the superior parietal cortex, and moderately suppressed beta activity over the medial frontal cortex, compared to minor-mode music, whereas fast-tempo music engaged significant alpha suppression over the right sensorimotor cortex.ConclusionThe resultant EEG brain sources were comparable with previous studies obtained by other neuroimaging modalities, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and positron emission tomography (PET). In conjunction with advanced dry and mobile EEG technology, the EEG results might facilitate the translation from laboratory-oriented research to real-life applications for music therapy, training and entertainment in naturalistic environments.

Highlights

Music conveys emotion by manipulating musical structures, musical mode- and tempo-impact
This study addressed three specific issues: 1) what independent brain processes are associated with musical mode or tempo perception, 2) whether these brain processes are consistent with previously reported music-related evidences obtained by other neuroimaging modalities, and 3) how these spatio-spectral dynamics of different brain networks are modulated by the musical mode and tempo
Mode- and tempo-modulated spatio-spectral dynamics Empirical results of this study showed that music with major mode tended to accompany the increased deltaband activity over the right sensorimotor cortex (p < 0.021, Figure 3A), the decreased theta activity over the superior parietal cortex (p < 0.009, Figure 3B), and the moderately decreased beta activity over the medial frontal cortex (p = 0.057) compared to minor-mode music, where fasttempo music only engaged significant alpha suppression over the right sensorimotor cortex (p < 0.035, Figure 3C)

Summary

Introduction

Music conveys emotion by manipulating musical structures, musical mode- and tempo-impact. A PET study [1] exposed subjects to varying harmonic chord structures to make music sound more or less consonant or dissonant in order to evaluate how regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) changes in distinct paralimbic and neocortex regions as a function of dissonance and/or perceived pleasantness/unpleasantness Another fMRI study [7] reported that blood-oxygen-level dependent (BOLD) signals increased in the parietal and occipital regions during harmonic melody that was strongly associated with emotional affect and intensity. Green et al [11] reported that minor-mode melodies increased activity in the limbic structures Another fMRI study [10] demonstrated that changes in musical mode and tempo involved the orbitofrontal and cingulate cortices, which are known to intervene in emotion processing. A magnetoencephalographic (MEG) study [12] demonstrated that the activity in the motor-related structures correlated with measures of musical rhythmicity

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