Music-related reward responses predict episodic memory performance

Abstract

Music represents a special type of reward involving the recruitment of the mesolimbic dopaminergic system. According to recent theories on episodic memory formation, as dopamine strengthens the synaptic potentiation produced by learning, stimuli triggering dopamine release could result in long-term memory improvements. Here, we behaviourally test whether music-related reward responses could modulate episodic memory performance. Thirty participants rated (in terms of arousal, familiarity, emotional valence, and reward) and encoded unfamiliar classical music excerpts. Twenty-four hours later, their episodic memory was tested (old/new recognition and remember/know paradigm). Results revealed an influence of music-related reward responses on memory: excerpts rated as more rewarding were significantly better recognized and remembered. Furthermore, inter-individual differences in the ability to experience musical reward, measured through the Barcelona Music Reward Questionnaire, positively predicted memory performance. Taken together, these findings shed new light on the relationship between music, reward and memory, showing for the first time that music-driven reward responses are directly implicated in higher cognitive functions and can account for individual differences in memory performance.

Dopaminergic signalling modulates reward-driven music memory consolidation

“…This in turn indicates new avenues for the study of the underlying mechanisms of music-driven memory benefits (Ferreri and Verga, 2016) and their implications in the clinical domain (e.g., Särkämo et al, 2008Särkämo et al, , 2014Simmons-Stern et al, 2010;see Sihvonen et al, 2017 for review). By showing that musical reward is a crucial mechanism in music memory performance (Ferreri and Rodriguez-Fornells, 2017; but see also Grau-Sanchez et al, 2018;Särkämo, 2018 for the implication of musical reward in other domains), our results suggest that inter-individual differences in musical hedonia should be taken into account in memory stimulation and rehabilitation paradigms. Such broadened paradigms could facilitate the creation of more finely grained musical interventions in normal and pathological aging, for example .…”

“…While in our previous work we showed that learning itself triggers intrinsic, dopamine-dependent reward signals that are amplified in more hedonic participants, here we show that music itself elicits dopamine-dependent reward signals that are comparably modulated by individual differences in musical hedonia. Indeed, our results suggest that music memory performance is driven not simply by synaptic dopamine availability, but also by the degree to which each individual can experience music reward in general (Ferreri and Rodriguez-Fornells, 2017). This in turn indicates new avenues for the study of the underlying mechanisms of music-driven memory benefits (Ferreri and Verga, 2016) and their implications in the clinical domain (e.g., Särkämo et al, 2008Särkämo et al, , 2014Simmons-Stern et al, 2010;see Sihvonen et al, 2017 for review).…”

“…In a recent behavioral study, we advanced this theoretical framework by collecting subjective ratings of pleasure from participants who listened to unfamiliar pieces of classical music. The results indicated that music-related pleasure and memory are, behaviorally, intimately related: the greater the pleasure elicited by a particular song, the better its 'musical-memory recognition' after a consolidation period (24 h), especially in individuals with high sensitivity to musical reward (Ferreri and Rodriguez-Fornells, 2017). Exploration of the neurochemical mechanisms underpinning this musicreward-driven effect on memory was not possible in this previous study, however, due to its behavioral focus.…”

“…This task has been validated and described in our previous work (Ferreri and Rodriguez-Fornells, 2017). In each intervention, participants were exposed three times to unfamiliar instrumental classical excerpts (normalized at − 10 dB, and faded 3 s in and 3 s out).…”

“…First, reward-related behavioral and physiological responses to music are modulated by musical hedonia, as are the structure and function of core reward-related brain regions (Brattico and Pearce, 2013;Mas-Herrero et al, 2013Martinez-Molina et al, 2016Belfi and Loui, 2019;Ferreri et al, 2019;Gold et al, 2019). Second, and most importantly, memory effects driven by dopamine in the context of intrinsic or abstract reward are highly dependent upon individual differences in reward sensitivity: the higher participants' hedonia, the higher the memory and learning performance (Ripollés et al, 2018;Ferreri et al, 2017). Once participants were divided into two groups according to their BMRQ scores, mixed 2 × 2 repeated measures ANOVAs were calculated for each subjective rating and for memory recognition scores with Group as a between-subjects factor (HDN+, HDN-) and Intervention as a within-subjects factor (levodopa/risperidone, using the placebo session as a baseline).…”