Are there specialized cells in the brain that code for music?
Some
scientists believe there could be specialized cells in our brains and the
brains of animals that detect tone, rhythm, for recognizing the familiarity of songs
and their rhythmic patterns, and the ability to play an instrument well. There
might also be cells that stimulate cortical regions to design a pattern for
neural musical connections.
Dr.
Isabelle Peretz, a psychologist at the University of Montreal, studies patients
who have brain damage to the right and left temporal lobes, the area in which
most of the auditory circuits live. As a result of the damage the patient loses
the ability to recognize familiar songs called amusia. Patients with amusia cannot
process variations in pitch, have no memories of music, lose the ability to
recognize music, sing, and tap to the music. In the Peretz et. al article, Congenital amusia A group study of adults afflicted with a music‐specific
disorder, “Congenital amusical individuals process and recognize speech,
including speech prosody, common environmental sounds and human voices, as well
as control subjects.” The disorder appears to be specific only with the
musical domain. This disorder suggests that there must be specific regions of
the brain that play a roll in musical abilities.
Discovering
why some are musically talented and why others are not is difficult due to the
fact that there is not one single type of musical talent. Some people have the ability to detect
different tones, movement, melodic structures, the ability to play an
instrument well, and the gift of being able to show your talent to others
without the feeling of embarrassment. (Dr.
Peter OstwaldUniversity of California School of Medicine)
Gary
Marcus puts his musical abilities to the test in his book “Guitar Zero The New
Musician and the Science of Learning.”
In the book we follow his journey to learn to play the guitar and along
the way he discusses different ideas about if musical abilities are a part of
nature or if they come from being nurtured into becoming a great musician.
According
to Dr. Jamshed Bharucha, , a psychologist at Dartmouth
College in Hanover, N.H. the way in which the cells in the brain are connected throughout
the cortex could create specific brain patterns for musical ability. Learning music at a young age could enhance
those patterns. Therefore exposure to music at a young age could be best for
developing a strong musical ability. Marcus concludes in the chapter “Learning
to Crawl” that we become musical over time with practice. Due to the neuroplasticity of our brain with
enough practice we should be able to rewire our brains to become musicians. Is
it possible that musical talent is a composition of cells that if you have them
you have talent and if you don’t then you will never achieve it?
For
Marcus innate talent was lacking. His arrhythmia, which he blames on his lousy
vestibular system, is his strongest issue in becoming a good player. From the help of good teachers, a series of
books, and the use of software to train his ear he was able to learn to play
the guitar. Every talented person needs
to practice to increase his or her abilities. Therefore, musical ability could
be a combination of both innate talent (cells coded for musical ability) and
practice (nurturing your talents).
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