Neurophysiological correlates of different moods and feelings induced by chords and harmonized scales revealed by fMRI

Abstract

Activated brain areas in response to major, minor, augmented and diminished chords as well as to major and minor harmonized scales were investigated by fMRI. The activated areas for the chord experiments included regions related to emotion processing. Results of the scale experimnts were less straightforward than those of the chord experiments. Possible relationship between the known functions of the areas activated by each category of stimuli and the behavioral (emotinal) effects of the category was discussed.