27:239–250(2006) | Stefan Koelsch, Thomas Fritz, D. Yves v. Cramon, Karsten Müller, and Angela D. Friederici
This study investigates the neural correlates of emotion processing in response to pleasant and unpleasant music using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Participants rated the pleasantness and unpleasantness of musical excerpts, and their tapping performance was assessed to ensure attention to both types of stimuli. fMRI data revealed that unpleasant music activated the amygdala, hippocampus, parahippocampal gyrus, and temporal poles, while pleasant music activated the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), anterior superior insula, ventral striatum, Heschl's gyrus, and Rolandic operculum. The amygdala, hippocampus, and parahippocampal gyrus showed stronger activations during the second half of the musical excerpts, suggesting temporal dynamics in emotion processing. The Rolandic operculum, anterior superior insula, and ventral striatum may form a motor-related circuitry involved in the perception of pleasant auditory information. The study highlights the role of these structures in both negative and positive emotional valence and introduces music as a novel tool for investigating neural substrates of emotion.This study investigates the neural correlates of emotion processing in response to pleasant and unpleasant music using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Participants rated the pleasantness and unpleasantness of musical excerpts, and their tapping performance was assessed to ensure attention to both types of stimuli. fMRI data revealed that unpleasant music activated the amygdala, hippocampus, parahippocampal gyrus, and temporal poles, while pleasant music activated the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), anterior superior insula, ventral striatum, Heschl's gyrus, and Rolandic operculum. The amygdala, hippocampus, and parahippocampal gyrus showed stronger activations during the second half of the musical excerpts, suggesting temporal dynamics in emotion processing. The Rolandic operculum, anterior superior insula, and ventral striatum may form a motor-related circuitry involved in the perception of pleasant auditory information. The study highlights the role of these structures in both negative and positive emotional valence and introduces music as a novel tool for investigating neural substrates of emotion.