From Cognition and Brain Plasticity Unit, Learning from Reward
will present the talk titled
The neural mechanisms underlying music-induced pleasure: from correlational to causal evidence
Abstract
The ability to experience pleasure with music is one of the most amazing skills that we possess as humans, and it has been the subject of intense neuroscientific research lately. Prior neuroimaging studies have shown that, despite the abstractness of music, it may mimic biologically rewarding stimuli (e.g. food) in its ability to engage the brain’s reward circuity and to release dopamine. However, neuroimaging methods are correlational, and thus, while they may reflect true causal mechanisms, correlational activities may not distinguish between brain regions directly involved in generating the hedonic experience from those that are only modulated by this experience. To establish such a causal relationship, it is crucial to actively manipulate brain function. Starting with a review of neuroimaging studies investigating music-induced pleasure and ending with a set of studies using non-invasive brain stimulation techniques and pharmacological interventions, this talk will dig into the role of dopaminergic striatal circuits in music reward.
Location: Online (Teams). The link will be published the same day of the seminar