Separate Contribution of Striatum Volume and Pitch Discrimination to Individual Differences in Music Reward

Abstract

Individual differences in the level of pleasure induced by music have been associated with the response of the striatum and differences in functional connectivity between the striatum and the auditory cortex. In this study, we tested whether individual differences in music reward are related to the structure of the striatum and the ability to discriminate pitch. We acquired a 3-D magnetization-prepared rapid-acquisition gradient-echo image for 32 musicians and 26 nonmusicians who completed a music-reward questionnaire and a test of pitch discrimination. The analysis of both groups together showed that sensitivity to music reward correlated negatively with the volume of both the caudate and nucleus accumbens and correlated positively with pitch-discrimination abilities. Moreover, musicianship, pitch discrimination, and caudate volume significantly predicted individual differences in music reward. These results are consistent with the proposal that individual differences in music reward depend on the interplay between auditory abilities and the reward network.

Individual Differences in Hippocampal Volume as a Function of BMI and Reward Sensitivity

“…In the same vein, similar reductions in striatal volumes have been found in several pathologies, such as substance abuse disorders (Barrós-Loscertales et al, 2011;Grodin and Momenan, 2017) or ADHD (Shaw et al, 2014). As recently demonstrated for sensitivity to the rewarding properties of music, striatum volume is only a predisposing factor to different kinds of rewards that should be accompanied in the case of music by a specific predisposing factor (Hernández et al, 2019). Here, the interaction with BMI determines the brain associates of high BMI participants whose overweight is associated with stronger reward sensitivity.…”

Auditory and frontal anatomic correlates of pitch discrimination in musicians, non-musicians, and children without musical training

“…show higher sensitivity to certain acoustic features that are critical in music processing (Micheyl et al 2006;Anderson and Kraus 2011;Bianchi et al 2016). In addition, different contributions of expertise in music processing and performance have been associated with higher scores on the JMT (Hernández et al 2019). The results also showed no differences between non-musicians and children in their pitch discrimination capacity.…”

“…With the aim of measuring individual differences in pitch discrimination, we used the Jake Mandell Test (JMT), developed by Jake Mandell and previously used to assess individual differences in pitch discrimination (Hernández et al 2019). This computerized test consists of 36 trials based on complex musical phrases that use different sonorities, such as organ, piano, percussion, or string instruments.…”

Phonological but not semantic influences on the speech-to-song illusion

“…To test this unique prediction, we manipulated the semantic characteristic known as emotional arousal (as measured by the Affective Norms for English Words [ ANEW ] database; Bradley & Lang, 1999). Of the various semantic features that could be manipulated, we selected emotional arousal because relationships among emotion, music, and language have been widely studied (e.g., Asaridou & McQueen, 2013; Bigand et al, 2005; Hernández et al, 2019; Koelsch et al, 2006 Margulis, 2013; Martin-Loeches et al, 2012; Patel, 2008; Tay & Ng, 2019). Furthermore, the ANEW database (Bradley & Lang, 1999) is widely used and has been adapted to a number of other languages (e.g., German : Schmidtke et al, 2014; Italian : Montefinese et al, 2014; European Portuguese : Soares et al, 2012; Spanish : Redondo et al, 2007).…”