Discovered that humans have only song-sensitive neurons

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) scientists, as a result of a study conducted on a group of epilepsy patients, discovered that there is a group of neurons in the human brain that only respond to listening to songs. The team observed that these neurons did not respond to normal speech or instrumental music.

Song-only neurons

MIT neuroscientists base their new study on another 2015 study to identify a population of neurons that are specifically responsive to music in the auditory cortex of the brain using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). they got it. Because the researchers weren’t able to clearly observe the data they wanted on the fMRI scale, they also used a method known as electrocorticography (ECoG) in their new study.

The ECoG method used allows recording electrical activity with electrodes placed inside the skull. This allowed the team to obtain more precise information about electrical activity in the brain compared to fMRI.

In the new study of 15 epilepsy patients, neuroscientists asked patients to listen to 165 different sounds, both natural and synthesized, that they had used in the previous fMRI study. Using the ECoG method used and a new statistical analysis developed, the team observed that there was only one set of neurons that responded to the songs. The research team notes that the newly discovered group of neurons is different from the group of neurons detected in the 2015 study.

Researchers say they will investigate how this group of neurons interact with songs. Although the sample size is limited, it is stated that it is an important development for future research on the link between neuroscience, epilepsy and music.