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Abstract:
Abstract: Recent functional imaging studies have shown that
pitch and rhythm processing utilizes resources primarily in the
left hemisphere and that timbre processing utilizes resources
primarily in the right hemisphere. In this study participants
listened to unfamiliar pieces of music while the ongoing
electroencephalogram was recorded. A continuous, across subject,
topographic map of activation was generated from these single
continuous samples. The advantage of this technique is that one can
look at unique and transient changes in the operation of
perception, memory and attention mechanisms that are occurring over
the time scale of seconds and minutes, but with a resolution of
milliseconds. This is of particular value in studying the role of
global control mechanisms in short-term and long-term cortical
plasticity. The pattern of activation that was observed is
consistent with previous functional imaging studies of music
processing. In addition, the timing of changes in activation in the
right posterior portion of the brain, in relation to specific
changes in music content, suggests this region may play a special
role in auditory space processing. This approach also allowed the
observation of a reduction in putative left frontal / right
cerebellar interactions, over a period of seconds, as the brain
adapted to the continuous stimulus stream.
http://www.dundee.ac.uk/psychology/ddpotter/
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