We talk about the neuroscience of music with Dr. Jessica Grahn, with a special attention to rhythm and beat. Beat perception relies on both auditory and motor systems, including the basal ganglia, which may relate to effects of music in patients with Parkinson’s Disease. We also talk about beat perception in birds and other animals, and why some people might be better at beat perception than others.

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Special Guest: Jessica Grahn.

Links:

• Jessica Grahn
• Jessica Grahn (@NeuroBeats) / Twitter
• Genome-wide association study of musical beat synchronization demonstrates high polygenicity | bioRxiv
• Grahn and Brett (2007): Rhythm and Beat Perception in Motor Areas of the Brain | Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience | MIT Press
• Stevie Wonder Superstition - YouTube
• The Little Kicks - Seinfeld - YouTube — Classic example of individual differences in beat synchronization
• Snowball the cockatoo - Another One Bites The Dust - YouTube
• Ronan the Sea Lion Keeps A Beat | Video - YouTube