Neural response to sad autobiographical recall and sad music listening post recall reveals distinct brain activation in alpha and gamma bands

Gupta, Ashish; Bhushan, Braj; Behera, Laxmidhar · 2023 · Crossref

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0279814

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Summary

This study investigates the neural correlates underlying the paradoxical appeal of sad music, specifically examining how brain activity differs between recalling a sad autobiographical event (SAR) and listening to sad music following such a recall. While sad music is known to aid in emotional coping and provide solace, the specific neural mechanisms distinguishing this aesthetic experience from genuine real-life sadness remain unclear. The researchers aimed to determine if sad music listening engages distinct neural processing pathways compared to the adverse circumstance of SAR, focusing on brain regions critical for emotion and memory: the cingulate cortex complex and the parahippocampus (PHC). The experimental design involved twenty right-handed male participants with no musical training, screened for psychological distress. Participants underwent three nine-minute conditions: baseline resting state, SAR (recalling and writing about a sad life event), and passive listening to a sad Indian classical composition. Electroencephalography (EEG) data were recorded and analyzed using Exact Low Resolution Electromagnetic Tomography (eLORETA) for source-level localization. The analysis focused on functional connectivity via lag-phase synchronization and regional activation via current source density (CSD) across specific frequency bands, particularly alpha (alpha1 and alpha2) and gamma. The results revealed distinct neural signatures for the two conditions. During sad music listening, there was enhanced alpha-band lag-phase synchronization, particularly within and between the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and PHC, compared to SAR. This enhancement was lateralized, with alpha1 activity dominant in the left hemisphere and alpha2 in the right. Additionally, sad music listening induced a significant increase in alpha2 CSD in the regions of interest. Conversely, the SAR condition was characterized by enhanced right-hemisphere lateralized functional connectivity and CSD in the gamma band compared to both music listening and baseline. These findings indicate that SAR involves increased gamma-band activity, associated with content binding, whereas sad music listening involves enhanced alpha-band activity, linked to content-specific information processing. The study concludes that the neural correlates of sad music listening are distinct from those of real-life sadness and baseline states. The enhanced alpha-band activity during music listening suggests a mechanism of increased content-specific information processing, potentially facilitated by enhanced network connectivity, local cortical integration, and sustained attention. This distinct neural processing may support the positive, coping-oriented experience associated with sad music, differentiating it qualitatively from the distress of autobiographical sadness. The findings imply that sadness induced by music and real-life events have different neurophysiological characteristics, offering insight into how music serves as a tool for emotional regulation.

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• music audio mood