How functional coupling between the auditory cortex and the amygdala induces musical emotion: a single case study

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychoacoustics
• Music Psychology

Background:

• Music profoundly influences human mood, yet the neural mechanisms underlying music-induced emotions are not fully understood.
• The interaction between the auditory cortex (AC) and the limbic system, particularly the amygdala (AMY), in processing musical emotions and its potential lateralization remain unclear.

Observation:

• Functional correlations between the auditory cortex (AC) and amygdala (AMY) were investigated using intracerebral recordings in a patient listening to music and pure tones.
• Gamma-band responses in the auditory cortex differed between hemispheres during music listening, with emotion-modulated activity observed primarily on the right.

Findings:

• A right-lateralized functional network between the AC and AMY emerged during listening to music perceived as happy, sad, or peaceful.
• Intra- and inter-hemisphere correlations between auditory areas and the amygdala were observed during pure tone listening.
• Music eliciting negative emotions (anger) was linked to widespread de-correlation between auditory and limbic structures.

Implications:

• These findings suggest that right-sided auditory-limbic interactions, through oscillatory network formation, are crucial for generating subjective emotional experiences from music.
• The study highlights the role of right-hemisphere dominance in the neural processing of music-related emotions.