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Neural correlates of processing
musical meaning („semantics“)
Stefan Koelsch
What is musical meaning?
Music is capable of transferring meaning information, and is an
important means of communication. Most theorists distinguish between
different aspects of musical meaning:
• (a) meaning which emerges from common patterns or forms (e.g.,
musical sound patterns that resemble sounds of objects, or qualities
of objects)
• (b) meaning which arises from the suggestion of a particular mood
(e.g., happy)
• (c) meaning due to extramusical associations (e.g., any national
anthem)
• (d) meaning that emerges from combinations of formal structures
that create tension (e.g., when perceiving an unexpected chord) and
resolution (L.B. Meyer, 1956). The emergence of meaning based on
the processing of musical structure requires integration of both
expected and unexpected events into a larger, meaningful musical
context.
Music can activate representations of
meaningful concepts
Koelsch et al., Nat Neurosci 2004
The N400 receives contributions from neurons located
in the temporal lobe
Koelsch et al., Nat Neurosci 2004
Affective priming paradigm
Steinbeis & Koelsch, PLoS-ONE 2008
Electric brain responses to word (A) and
chord (B) targets
Word targets incongruous with the expressed affect of the preceding chord elicited
an increased N400 between 300–500 ms distributed broadly over the scalp (A) with
a centro-parietal maximum. Chord targets incongruous with the expressed affect of
the preceding word elicited an increased N400 between 200–400 ms distributed
broadly over the scalp (B) with a fronto-central maximum.
Steinbeis & Koelsch, PLoS-ONE 2008
BOLD responses to word (A) and
chord (B) targets
Incongruous word targets activated the right MTG (A), whereas incongruous chord
targets activated the right posterior STS (B). Data is displayed at a threshold of
p<0.005 (uncorrected) for visual purposes.
Steinbeis & Koelsch, PLoS-ONE 2008
Brain structures for processing meaning in music and
language overlap
Wernicke‘s area
Priming studies with chords & words
• N400 to words shows that musical information (even a
single chord) has systematic effects on semantic
processing of words
• N400 to chords shows that such a semantic
processing can also elicited by musical information
• The processing of musical semantics appears to
involve the superior temporal sulcus / middle and
superior temporal gyurs (right > left)
Caroline Traube, 2007
Interactions between music and language processing
Processing of music can interact with languagesemantic processing
Steinbeis & Koelsch, Cerebral Cortex, 2007