Links Between the Neurobiology of Oxytocin and Human Musicality

Abstract

The human species possesses two complementary, yet distinct, universal communication systems—language and music. Functional imaging studies have revealed that some core elements of these two systems are processed in closely related brain regions, but there are also clear differences in brain circuitry that likely underlie differences in functionality. Music affects many aspects of human behavior, especially in encouraging prosocial interactions and promoting trust and cooperation within groups of culturally compatible but not necessarily genetically related individuals. Music, presumably via its impact on the limbic system, is also rewarding and motivating, and music can facilitate aspects of learning and memory. In this review these special characteristics of music are considered in light of recent research on the neuroscience of the peptide oxytocin, a hormone that has both peripheral and central actions, that plays a role in many complex human behaviors, and whose expression has recently been reported to be affected by music-related activities. I will first briefly discuss what is currently known about the peptide’s physiological actions on neurons and its interactions with other neuromodulator systems, then summarize recent advances in our knowledge of the distribution of oxytocin and its receptor (OXTR) in the human brain. Next, the complex links between oxytocin and various social behaviors in humans are considered. First, how endogenous oxytocin levels relate to individual personality traits, and then how exogenous, intranasal application of oxytocin affects behaviors such as trust, empathy, reciprocity, group conformity, anxiety, and overall social decision making under different environmental conditions. It is argued that many of these characteristics of oxytocin biology closely mirror the diverse effects that music has on human cognition and emotion, providing a link to the important role music has played throughout human evolutionary history and helping to explain why music remains a special prosocial human asset. Finally, it is suggested that there is a potential synergy in combining oxytocin- and music-based strategies to improve general health and aid in the treatment of various neurological dysfunctions.

Dance on the Brain: Enhancing Intra- and Inter-Brain Synchrony

“…Interpersonal coordination has been evolutionarily selected for its important role in social cohesion or bonding (Chartrand and Lakin, 2013 ); these behaviors help connect the self to others, and recent studies have shown that they drive neural coupling (Bernieri and Rosenthal, 1991 ; Hasson et al, 2012 ; Hasson and Frith, 2016 ). Other theories on the evolution of dance and other creative art forms exist but are beyond the scope of this review (Morriss-Kay, 2010 ; Sigaki et al, 2018 ; Zaidel, 2018 , 2020 ; Savage, 2019 ; Harvey, 2020 ). In this section, we discuss the evolutionary advantages of interpersonal coordination, and by viewing dance through this lens, we see that dance is a complex physical activity that involves mimicry and synchrony in a variety of neurobehaviors.…”

Toward inclusive theories of the evolution of musicality

“…Such applications/extensions include: clinical applications in patients with amnesia/Alzheimer's disease ( del Mastrao et al ) and neurodevelopmental disorders ( Kasdan et al ); applications to music education ( Morrison ) and sleep research ( Akkermann et al); proposing additional behavioral experiments to explore relationships between specific musical features and specific psychological mechanisms ( Sachs et al ); proposing additional cultural transmission experiments to explore mechanisms of cultural evolution ( Lumaca et al; Scott-Philipps et al ); theoretical extension to the evolution of dance ( Brown ), gesture ( Gardiner ), play ( Ashley ), and story-telling ( Trevor & Frühholz) ; exploring coevolution of music and language ( Benítez-Burraco ); incorporation of the role of knowledge songs ( Levitin ); cross-cultural extensions to Chinese music ( Wang & Zou ); capturing variation in musicality at the levels of development ( Hannon et al ), vocal production ( Pfordresher ), and genomes ( Tichko et al ); and further details of neurobiological mechanisms including the roles of ventromedial prefrontal cortex ( Belfi ), the cerebellum ( Fritz ), oxytocin ( Hansen & Keller ; cf. Harvey, 2020), entrainment ( Grahn et al ), and emotion ( Gingras; Juslin ). We do not have space to address each of these proposals in detail, but we are delighted our proposals have stimulated such productive extensions and we look forward to seeing the results of their proposals.…”

Personalized treatment interventions: nonpharmacological and natural treatment strategies in Alzheimer’s disease

“…In healthy young women, relaxing music reduced stress levels much faster than silence, while the opposite was detected for rap music [67]. Moreover, listening to classical music in musically experienced participants resulted in the differential expression of genes related to dopamine release and signaling, synaptic function, cognition, neurogenesis, long-term potentiation, dephosphorylation, ATP synthase-coupled proton transport, cytolysis, and positive regulation of caspase, peptidase, and endopeptidase activities [68]. While there was a clear trend showing increased peripheral oxytocin and decreased cortisol levels in participants actively engaged in music performance (reviewed in [69]), more research is needed to reveal the effects induced by different music forms, ie, familiar vs. non-familiar, public vs. private performance, or arousing vs. relaxing music.…”