Hi Nathalie: As far as I know there is "some" evidence for the processing of tempo-related features of music in the left hemisphere; and the acoustic/melodic properties processed in the right. Thus, contrary to popular misconception music is NOT a right hemisphere-specialized activity but is a great example of bilateral cooperation of the hemispheres.
However, a quick psychinfo search shows that your student is probably correct about some aspects of beat/tempo/rhythm as they relate to our movement in time to music. See: Grahn, Jessica A.; Brett, Matthew;Rhythm and beat perception in motor areas of the brain. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, Vol 19(5), 2007. pp. 893-906. When we listen to rhythm, we often move spontaneously to the beat. This movement may result from processing of the beat by motor areas. Previous studies have shown that several motor areas respond when attending to rhythms. Here we investigate whether specific motor regions respond to beat in rhythm. We predicted that the basal ganglia and supplementary motor area (SMA) would respond in the presence of a regular beat. To establish what rhythm properties induce a beat, we asked subjects to reproduce different types of rhythmic sequences. Improved reproduction was observed for one rhythm type, which had integer ratio relationships between its intervals and regular perceptual accents. A subsequent functional magnetic resonance imaging study found that these rhythms also elicited higher activity in the basal ganglia and SMA. This finding was consistent across different levels of musical training, although musicians showed activation increases unrelated to rhythm type in the premotor cortex, cerebellum, and SMAs ( pre-SMA and SMA). We conclude that, in addition to their role in movement production, the basal ganglia and SMAs may mediate beat perception. Annette Kujawski Taylor, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology University of San Diego 5998 Alcala Park San Diego, CA 92110 619-260-4006 [email protected] ---- Original message ---- >Date: Mon, 15 Dec 2008 11:10:17 -0500 >From: "Nathalie Cote" <[email protected]> >Subject: [tips] [TIPS] Cerebellum and rhythm question >To: "Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS)" <[email protected]> > >Hello and happy holidays, TIPSters, > >I received the question below from a student and don't really know how >to answer it. He is doing a project on the psychology of music. Can >anyone help? >Thank you >Nathalie > > >"I've been reading about how recalling >the tempo or speed of the rhythms of a song relates to the cerebellum, >which >acts as a timekeeping mechanism for daily life. Could you explain to me >how >that works?" > > >***** >Nathalie Cote' >Assoc. Professor of Psychology >Belmont Abbey College >100 Belmont-Mt. Holly Rd. >Belmont, NC 28012 >704-461-6754 >fax 704-461-6239 > >--- >To make changes to your subscription contact: > >Bill Southerly ([email protected]) --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([email protected])
