Tuning‐in to the beat: Aesthetic appreciation of musical rhythms correlates with a premotor activity boost

Abstract

Listening to music can induce us to tune in to its beat. Previous neuroimaging studies have shown that the motor system becomes involved in perceptual rhythm and timing tasks in general, as well as during preference-related responses to music. However, the role of preferred rhythm and, in particular, of preferred beat frequency (tempo) in driving activity in the motor system remains unknown. The goals of the present functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study were to determine whether the musical rhythms that are subjectively judged as beautiful boost activity in motor-related areas and if so, whether this effect is driven by preferred tempo, the underlying pulse people tune in to. On the basis of the subjects' judgments, individual preferences were determined for the different systematically varied constituents of the musical rhythms. Results demonstrate the involvement of premotor and cerebellar areas during preferred compared to not preferred musical rhythms and indicate that activity in the ventral premotor cortex (PMv) is enhanced by preferred tempo. Our findings support the assumption that the premotor activity increase during preferred tempo is the result of enhanced sensorimotor simulation of the beat frequency. This may serve as a mechanism that facilitates the tuning-in to the beat of appealing music.

Body movement enhances the extraction of temporal structures in auditory sequences

“…Interestingly, such oscillations are also associated with motor tasks (Fujioka, Trainor, Large, & Ross, 2009;Salenius & Hari, 2003). Consistently, the premotor activation in the brain is enhanced by listening to rhythms at one's preferred tempo (Kornysheva, von Cramon, Jacobsen, & Schubotz, 2010), and human listeners' preferred tempo in music (Moelants, 2002) corresponds to the preferred frequency (*2 Hz) in locomotion (Macdougall & Moore, 2005). These findings seem to suggest that the percept of regular pulse, which also defines the tempo, could entail a motor component: forming a pulse by means of entrainment may require a motor process, at least internally (Grahn & Rowe, 2009).…”

The modulating effects of music listening on health-related exercise and physical activity in adults: a systematic review and narrative synthesis

“…In support of this notion, individual trials have identified preferred characteristics in music that have an impact physical response. Kornysheva et al (2010) found that premotor activity is heightened when beat is preferred. Further, tempo preferences slow as we age, and capacity to entrain with non-preferred tempo is more challenging for older adults (McAuley et al, 2006).…”

“…Motion-capture studies illustrate this phenomenon, explaining spontaneous relaxation and contraction of muscles in response to tension, resolution and rhythm in music as an embodied form of music cognition (Burger, Thompson, Luck, Saarikallio & Toiviainen, 2013). Other research has focused on the influence of rhythm in music, demonstrating that patterns in bodily movements influence how rhythm is perceived (Phillips-Silver & Trainor, 2007) and that tempo and beat preferences have an impact on the magnitude of response (Kornysheva, von Cramon, Jacobsen & Schubotz, 2010;MacDougall & Moore, 2005;McAuley, Jones, Holub, Johnston & Miller, 2006). Further, neuroimaging research examining music listening demonstrates stimulation of the limbic and para-limbic structures in the brain corresponding with subjective feelings of motivation and reward (Koelsch, 2010), suggesting that music listening might have a positive influence on emotions during exercise.…”

Psychological, psychophysical, and ergogenic effects of music in swimming

“…Experimental work using fMRI scanners has given considerable insight into the parts of the brain that might facilitate entrainment. For example, Kornysheva, von Cramon, Jacobsen, and Schubotz (2010) highlighted the involvement of premotor and cerebellar brain sectors during preferred vs.…”