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Updated: Nov 25, 2025

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Dynamic acoustic salience evokes motor responses.

Benjamin G Schultz1, Rachel M Brown1, Sonja A Kotz1

  • 1Basic & Applied NeuroDynamics Laboratory, Faculty of Psychology & Neuroscience, Department of Neuropsychology & Psychopharmacology, Maastricht University, the Netherlands.

Cortex; a Journal Devoted to the Study of the Nervous System and Behavior
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Summary

Music

Keywords:
Acoustic salienceAudio-motor integrationInvoluntary motor responsessEMG

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Auditory Perception
  • Motor Control

Background:

  • Current audio-motor integration models focus on predictive processes.
  • These models overlook how auditory stimuli can elicit involuntary actions.
  • A reactive audio-motor pathway may exist, triggered by salient acoustic features.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the link between acoustic salience in music and involuntary motor responses.
  • To identify specific musical features that contribute to perceived salience.
  • To explore whether these salient features evoke involuntary peripheral muscle activity.

Main Methods:

  • Participants listened to musical excerpts and rated perceived salience.
  • Surface electromyography (sEMG) recorded muscle activity during listening.
  • Cross-correlations analyzed relationships between acoustic features, salience ratings, and muscle activity.

Main Results:

  • Amplitude, intensity, and spectral centroid were identified as key salient musical features.
  • Fluctuations in these features correlated with spontaneous muscle activity.
  • Salience ratings showed a direct relationship with involuntary muscle responses.

Conclusions:

  • Evidence supports an involuntary audio-motor integration mechanism, potentially involving brainstem-spinal pathways.
  • A new framework is proposed, integrating both predictive and reactive audio-motor processes.
  • Understanding both mechanisms is crucial for explaining human sensorimotor capabilities.