Study Finds Neural Perception of Musicality Is Independent of Pitch

Article title: Neurophysiological time course of timbre-induced music-like perception

Authors: Alejandra E. Santoyo, Mariel G. Gonzales, Zunaira J. Iqbal, Kristina C. Backer, Ramesh Balasubramaniam, Heather Bortfeld, Antoine J. Shahin

From the authors: “This study provides evidence that the neural code of musicality is independent of pitch encoding. The results have implications for understanding music processing in individuals with degraded pitch perception, such as in cochlear-implant listeners, as well as the role of nonpitched sounds in the induction of music-like perceptual states.”

This study is highlighted as one of September’s “best of the best” as part of the American Physiological Society's APSselect program.