A group of Spanish researchers from the University of Barcelona has found out why some people do not receive no positive impressions, listening to music.
These people do not have any hearing impairments and get vivid impressions from other activities, but music has no effect on them. According to Spanish researchers, this may be due to a disruption in the connection between auditory and reward circuits in the brain.
Most studies of the reward system in the human brain have assumed global sensitivity, i.e., the ability to experience pleasure as a single trait that is common to all types of pleasure-giving stimuli. However, about 10 years ago, a group of scientists challenged this notion by demonstrating a condition called specific musical anhedonia.
In this study, the researchers studied people, who did not enjoy listening to music, but enjoyed other stimuli. Now, the same group of scientists has described the mechanism behind individual differences in sensitivity to music.
According to the co-author of the study Josep Marco-Pallares, musical anhedonia is provoked by a disruption of communication between the brain’s auditory system and the reward system, rather than any specific dysfunction. This disconnect reduces the ability of music to activate the reward systems necessary for pleasure.
“A similar mechanism may underlie individual differences in responses to other rewarding stimuli. Studying these circuits could pave the way for new research into individual differences and reward-related disorders such as anhedonia, addiction, or eating disorders”, — Josep Marco-Pallares emphasized.
To identify people with a certain degree of musical anhedonia, researchers have developed a special a questionnaire called “Barcelona Music Award Questionnaire”. He evaluated five different ways people interact with music: arousing emotions, regulating mood, strengthening social connections, encouraging dance or movement, and even seeking novelty in the form of searching for, collecting, or listening to music.
Usually, people with musical anhedonia demonstrate low scores on all five indicators. They have difficulty naming their favorite musicians or pieces, and they do not react as vigorously to music.
The results of the brain scans confirmed the hypothesis of a disconnect. The neuroimaging results showed increased activity in a number of brain regions, including the adjacent nucleus accumbens, part of the reward mechanism, while listening to pleasant music. At the same time, in people with musical anhedonia, MRI revealed a reduced response to music, but not to other pleasures.
“It’s possible, for example, that people with certain food anhedonia may have some deficits in the connections between the brain areas involved in food processing and the reward system”, — Josep Marco-Pallares does not rule out.
As for the causes of this condition, researchers note that genetics and environmental impact. The research also points to certain brain injuries that cause similar states of selective pleasure loss.
The results of the study are published in the journal Trends in Cognitive Sciences
Source: NewAtlas
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