Musical anhedonia is a

neurological disorder Neurological disorders represent a complex array of medical conditions that fundamentally disrupt the functioning of the nervous system. These disorders affect the brain, spinal cord, and nerve networks, presenting unique diagnosis, treatment, and ...

characterized by an inability to derive pleasure from

music Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...

. People with this condition, unlike those suffering from music agnosia, can recognize and understand music but fail to enjoy it. Research has shown that people with this condition have reduced functional connectivity between the cortical regions responsible for processing sound and the subcortical regions related to reward. Musical anhedonia is not associated with brain damage and affects between 3 and 5 percent of the general population.

History

Case studies of musical anhedonia and its symptoms date from 1993. The term "musical anhedonia" was first used in 2011. It was originally used to describe the selective loss in emotional responses to music following damage to the brain. It has now come to mean, more generally, a selective lack of pleasurable responses to music in individuals with or without brain damage. This has led to the recognition of two different types of musical anhedonia. The first type, known as ''musical anhedonia without brain damage'', manifests itself in individuals that do not present any neurological damage. Its incidence in the general population is low: between 3% and 5%. The second type is known as ''acquired'' ''musical anhedonia'', which develops as a result of brain damage. The incidence of this second form is even lower, and most studies of it focus on individual cases.

Research

A 2014 study correlated participants' reported enjoyment of music with neurological activity, as measured by

functional magnetic resonance imaging Functional magnetic resonance imaging or functional MRI (fMRI) measures brain activity by detecting changes associated with blood flow. This technique relies on the fact that cerebral blood flow and neuronal activation are coupled. When an area o ...

(fMRI). It found that those who reported stronger emotional reactions to music had greater neurological activity linking the

auditory cortex The auditory cortex is the part of the temporal lobe that processes auditory information in humans and many other vertebrates. It is a part of the auditory system, performing basic and higher functions in hearing, such as possible relations to ...

and

mesolimbic pathway The mesolimbic pathway, sometimes referred to as the reward pathway, is a dopaminergic pathway in the brain. The pathway connects the ventral tegmental area in the midbrain to the ventral striatum of the basal ganglia in the forebrain. The v ...

of the brain. This suggests that specific musical anhedonia exists as a discrete neurological condition, rather than a symptom of general

anhedonia Anhedonia is a diverse array of deficits in hedonic function, including reduced motivation or ability to experience pleasure. While earlier definitions emphasized the inability to experience pleasure, anhedonia is currently used by researcher ...

. Music therapy may be ineffective for people with musical anhedonia, as is the case with certain other diseases and conditions such as

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor system, motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become ...

and

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

. A 2019 study found that specific music-based treatments may alleviate anhedonia and other depression symptoms.

Society and culture

Music is often considered to be a

universal language Universal language may refer to a hypothetical or historical language spoken and understood by all or most of the world's people. In some contexts, it refers to a means of communication said to be understood by all humans. It may be the idea o ...

, and individuals with musical anhedonia may find it difficult to understand why they do not gain pleasure from it. Two core societal benefits have emerged from the new empirical research into the condition: it has helped people with the condition to better understand why they are affected by it; and it has helped to demonstrate to the rest of the population that it is a genuine condition that impacts the lives of many people.

Northeastern University Northeastern University (NU or NEU) is a private university, private research university with its main campus in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was founded by the Boston Young Men's Christian Association in 1898 as an all-male instit ...

professors investigated whether the correlation between music and the brain can impair "social bonding". They could link similar images of the brain of a person with

autism Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by differences or difficulties in social communication and interaction, a preference for predictability and routine, sensory processing d ...

with the images of the brain of a person with musical anhedonia.

References

{{Reflist, 2 Music psychology

History

Research

Society and culture

See also

References