Brain Anatomy 101: What happens to our brain when we listen to music?

Neuroscience research has shown that listening to music influences various parts of the brain, including the:

Prefrontal lobes

The frontal lobes are the anterior part of the cerebral cortex. They are involved in planning, organization, memory, impulse control, problem-solving, selective attention, decision-making, and the control of behavior and emotions. The left frontal lobe also plays a role in speech and language.

Processes responsible for executive functioning also take place in the frontal lobes. Examples include recognizing the consequences of certain actions, choosing between two different actions, suppressing socially undesirable reactions, and identifying differences and similarities between different situations.

This is therefore the area of ​​the brain involved in cognitive functions such as attention, planning, decision-making, and self-control. Music can activate this area and lead to improved attention and concentration.

The primary motor cortex is also located in the frontal lobes. The primary motor cortex controls movements, including the planning and execution of movements. Music can activate this area and make people want to move along to the music.

Temporal lobes

Due to the various areas found in the temporal lobes, this part of the brain also has many different functions. These involve the processing of auditory information, but this is not the only one. We use the language center in the temporal lobes, which spans both hemispheres, to interpret music. Although language and words are interpreted in the left hemisphere, music and sounds are interpreted in the right hemisphere.

The lobes include, among others, the auditory cortex, hippocampus (memory), amygdala (emotions), the parahippocampal gyrus (production and retrieval of memories), fusiform gyrus, and Brodmann areas 20, 21, and 22. Wernicke's area (meaningful speech) is therefore also located here. And in the lateral part, you also find the primary and secondary cortex. However, the most important structures are the three listed below.

1) Auditory cortex: This is the area of ​​the brain responsible for processing sound. Music activates this area, enabling us to hear and distinguish the melodies, harmonies, and rhythms of music.

2) Hippocampus: This area of ​​the brain is involved in memory and learning. Music can evoke memories and cause people to associate certain music with specific events or moments in their lives. Music can also increase neurogenesis in the hippocampus, enabling the production of new neurons and thereby improving memory.

3) Amygdala: Music can evoke emotions and activate the amygdala, allowing people to feel connected to the music.

Corpus callosum

This is the thick bundle of nerve fibers that connects the left and right hemispheres of the brain. Music can improve communication between the two hemispheres and ensure better cooperation between the different parts of the brain.

In short, listening to music leads to improved cognitive functions, emotions, memory, and reward systems, among other things. Listening to music can therefore be seen as an effective brain workout, or in other words, a powerful tool to keep the body healthy or to heal. The foundation has therefore developed a 5-day music challenge (called music therapy), which you can participate in soon.