Effects of emotional music on visual processes in inferior temporal area

To investigate the effects of emotional music on visual processes, we analyzed visual evoked magnetic fields (VEF) on listening to emotional music in 14 healthy subjects. Positive and negative pieces of music were delivered during VEF recording following stimulation by emotionally neutral pictures of faces and landscapes. VEF components at 100 (M100) and 150 (M170)ms after stimulus onset were analyzed, and the estimated current strength for M170 following face stimulation was enhanced with negative compared to positive music in the right hemisphere. The equivalent current dipole for M100 and M170 was estimated in the primary visual cortex (V1) and inferior temporal area (IT), respectively. The present results indicate that background music showed a top-down control of the visual processes in IT, which is a core site responsible for the interpretation of facial expression. The emotional contents of music could alter visual processes, especially those involving the face.