‘Musical brain’ revealed by high-field (3 Tesla) functional MRI

Abstract

The cortical areas subserving music literacy were investigated using high-field (3 Tesla) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The activation pattern associated specifically with music score reading was compared with that associated with reading text in a subject's primary and secondary language. While the areas of activation were predominantly identical for all three reading modalities, there were areas within the occipital cortex activated exclusively by music score reading. Grand analysis of the activation patterns of eight pianists unequivocally identified that the principal cortical area needed for music literacy is the cortex flanking the right transverse occipital sulcus (musical brain).