Our brains are wired for music

How does music become science? During the World Science Festival 2009 musical artist Bobby McFerrin demonstrated the way neurons interact with an audience experiment.

McFerrin joined host John Schaefer, Jamshed Barucha, scientist Daniel Levitin and Professor Lawrence Parsons on the stage during a panel discussion on if the human body is preset to respond to music in a certain way or if that music is a cultural thing during June 2009. When people hear musical notes they become part of the music themselves. Music has been a part of the human experience since humans have existed. Today technology can look into the brain to explore how musical notes and the brain interacts. Music is the universal language. We are all programmed like a computer for musical notes. While some styles of music are cultural the basis of music touches us all and is a thread that all humans have. McFerrin told the panel that he has observed that somewhere inside people they want to get involved with music. Music, combined with dance has a physical element for humans. Music touches almost every portion of the brain, both left and right is involved when music is played. During passive listening the entire body is still involved with the notes. It is now known that music can promote memory, social behavior and communication when patients have severe brain disorders. US News.com reports:

"The understanding of neural mechanism of 'innate' music features in non-human primates will facilitate an improved understanding of music perception in the human nervous system," study co-author Yuki Kikuchi, research associate in the department of physiology and biophysics

When it comes down to it there is no plausible explanation for the way that music brings physical and psychosocial responses. Scientists know that music also has these reactions with non-human primates. This theory was discussed this week at the Society for Neuroscience conference in Chicago.

EurekAlert reports:

"The understanding of neural mechanism of 'innate' music features in non-human primates will facilitate an improved understanding of music perception in the human nervous system," explains Yuki Kikuchi, PhD, a research associate in the department of physiology and biophysics. "This will allow a neurobiological framework from which to understand the basis of the effectiveness of music therapeutic interventions."

We are tuned to noted, our neurons are sensitive to musical notes. The evolution of communication may very well be based in music. As neuroscience focuses on the science of music and the brain changes in the way the medical establishment uses sound when it comes to healing people. Music therapy may one day be a common element in the treatment of neurological disorders and heart condition. The full video series featuring McFerrin is located here.