Research Shows Where Brain Interprets "Pitch"

Johns Hopkins researchers have discovered a discrete region of the monkey brain that processes pitch, the relative high and low points of sound, by recognizing a single musical note played by different instruments.

Given the similarities between monkeys and man, humans may have a similar pitch-processing region in the brain too, which might one day help those with hearing and speech problems. The paper appears in the Aug. 25 issue of Nature.

By recording the activity of individual brain cells as monkeys listened to musical notes, the scientists identified single neurons, located in what they've called the brain’s “pitch center,” that recognize a middle-C as a middle-C even when played by two different instruments.

Full story: Newswise | Research Shows Where Brain Interprets "Pitch"