| |
Abstract:
Neuropsychological and behavioral studies have demonstrated
that musical processing can be decomposed into the appreciation of
global/holistic elements and local elements. The evidence also
suggest that there is a functional asymmetry in this effect: the
right hemisphere shows a preference for global processing and the
left for local processing. The aim of this study was to quantify
whether these elements have distinct, asymmetrical
neurophysiological signatures. An ERP study was conducted with 8
musically-naive right-handed subjects. Global and local properties
were manipulated by altering (raising or lowering) the pitch value
of one note within a musical phrase, while keeping both the scale
and the key constant. The task consisted of detecting and
responding to infrequent changes in a binaurally repeated melody.
Results showed different ERP modulations associated with the global
and local melody manipulations. While the local manipulation showed
a more bilateral distribution, the global condition showed an early
negative peak and a sustained positive shift following the P3
component which was maximal over the right central parietal region.
These results are consistent with the asymmetric complimentarity of
musical processing previously reported in behavioral paradigms.
Supported by FCAR
|
