Rapid encoding of musical tones discovered in whole-brain connectivity
L. Bonetti,
E. Brattico,
F. Carlomagno,
G. Donati,
J. Cabral,
N.T. Haumann,
G. Deco,
P. Vuust,
M.L. Kringelbach
Affiliations
L. Bonetti
Centre for Eudaimonia and Human Flourishing, University of Oxford, United Kingdom; Center for Music in the Brain, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University & The Royal Academy of Music Aarhus/Aalborg, Denmark; Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom; Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Italy; Corresponding author.
E. Brattico
Center for Music in the Brain, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University & The Royal Academy of Music Aarhus/Aalborg, Denmark; Department of Education, Psychology, Communication, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Italy
F. Carlomagno
Center for Music in the Brain, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University & The Royal Academy of Music Aarhus/Aalborg, Denmark
G. Donati
Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Italy; Center for Music in the Brain, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University & The Royal Academy of Music Aarhus/Aalborg, Denmark
J. Cabral
Centre for Eudaimonia and Human Flourishing, University of Oxford, United Kingdom; Center for Music in the Brain, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University & The Royal Academy of Music Aarhus/Aalborg, Denmark; Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
N.T. Haumann
Center for Music in the Brain, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University & The Royal Academy of Music Aarhus/Aalborg, Denmark
G. Deco
Institució Catalana de la Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Passeig Lluís Companys 23, Barcelona, 08010, Spain; Computational and Theoretical Neuroscience Group, Center for Brain and Cognition, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
P. Vuust
Center for Music in the Brain, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University & The Royal Academy of Music Aarhus/Aalborg, Denmark
M.L. Kringelbach
Centre for Eudaimonia and Human Flourishing, University of Oxford, United Kingdom; Center for Music in the Brain, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University & The Royal Academy of Music Aarhus/Aalborg, Denmark; Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
ABSTRACT: Information encoding has received a wide neuroscientific attention, but the underlying rapid spatiotemporal brain dynamics remain largely unknown. Here, we investigated the rapid brain mechanisms for encoding of sounds forming a complex temporal sequence. Specifically, we used magnetoencephalography (MEG) to record the brain activity of 68 participants while they listened to a highly structured musical prelude. Functional connectivity analyses performed using phase synchronisation and graph theoretical measures showed a large network of brain areas recruited during encoding of sounds, comprising primary and secondary auditory cortices, frontal operculum, insula, hippocampus and basal ganglia. Moreover, our results highlighted the rapid transition of brain activity from primary auditory cortex to higher order association areas including insula and superior temporal pole within a whole-brain network, occurring during the first 220 ms of the encoding process. Further, we discovered that individual differences along cognitive abilities and musicianship modulated the degree centrality of the brain areas implicated in the encoding process. Indeed, participants with higher musical expertise presented a stronger centrality of superior temporal gyrus and insula, while individuals with high working memory abilities showed a stronger centrality of frontal operculum. In conclusion, our study revealed the rapid unfolding of brain network dynamics responsible for the encoding of sounds and their relationship with individual differences, showing a complex picture which extends beyond the well-known involvement of auditory areas. Indeed, our results expanded our understanding of the general mechanisms underlying auditory pattern encoding in the human brain.
