Brain correlates of sadness in music: An exploratory ALE meta-analysis

The neural systems supporting music-induced sadness remain incompletely understood, particularly regarding how affective processing interacts with memory. In this exploratory study, activation likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analysis examined convergent neural responses to music-induced sadness across nine functional neuroimaging studies (155 participants, 25 activation foci). Coordinates reported in Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI) space were analyzed using GingerALE (version 3.0.2) under a random-effects model with cluster-level family-wise error (FWE) correction (p < 0.01) and voxel-level thresholding (p < 0.01). Results revealed a significant cluster in the right medial temporal lobe, encompassing the parahippocampal gyrus and hippocampus. The peak voxel was located at MNI coordinates (16, -10, -20) in Brodmann area 28 (ALE = 0.0083, p = 4.06 × 10^-5, z = 3.94). Anatomical overlap was strongest in Brodmann area 28 (41.3%; entorhinal cortex). These findings suggest recruitment of medial temporal lobe regions associated with episodic memory processing. Although these findings are consistent with a memory-mediated account of music-induced sadness, the involvement of these regions should be interpreted cautiously because the medial temporal lobe also supports other cognitive functions beyond episodic memory. Overall, this exploratory meta-analysis suggests that sadness in music may be supported by interactions between memory-related and affective systems during listening.