Hippocampal sclerosis affects fMR-adaptation of lyrics and melodies in songs

Alonso, I., Sammler, D., Valabrègue, R., Dinkelacker, V., Dupont, S., Belin, P. and Samson, S. (2014) Hippocampal sclerosis affects fMR-adaptation of lyrics and melodies in songs. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 8, 111. (doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00111) (PMID:24578688) (PMCID:PMC3936190)

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Abstract

Songs constitute a natural combination of lyrics and melodies, but it is unclear whether and how these two song components are integrated during the emergence of a memory trace. Network theories of memory suggest a prominent role of the hippocampus, together with unimodal sensory areas, in the build-up of conjunctive representations. The present study tested the modulatory influence of the hippocampus on neural adaptation to songs in lateral temporal areas. Patients with unilateral hippocampal sclerosis and healthy matched controls were presented with blocks of short songs in which lyrics and/or melodies were varied or repeated in a crossed factorial design. Neural adaptation effects were taken as correlates of incidental emergent memory traces. We hypothesized that hippocampal lesions, particularly in the left hemisphere, would weaken adaptation effects, especially the integration of lyrics and melodies. Results revealed that lateral temporal lobe regions showed weaker adaptation to repeated lyrics as well as a reduced interaction of the adaptation effects for lyrics and melodies in patients with left hippocampal sclerosis. This suggests a deficient build-up of a sensory memory trace for lyrics and a reduced integration of lyrics with melodies, compared to healthy controls. Patients with right hippocampal sclerosis showed a similar profile of results although the effects did not reach significance in this population. We highlight the finding that the integrated representation of lyrics and melodies typically shown in healthy participants is likely tied to the integrity of the left medial temporal lobe. This novel finding provides the first neuroimaging evidence for the role of the hippocampus during repetitive exposure to lyrics and melodies and their integration into a song.

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Belin, Professor Pascal
Authors: Alonso, I., Sammler, D., Valabrègue, R., Dinkelacker, V., Dupont, S., Belin, P., and Samson, S.
College/School:College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Psychology & Neuroscience
Journal Name:Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
Publisher:Frontiers Research Foundation
ISSN:1662-5161
ISSN (Online):1662-5161
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2014 The Authors
First Published:First published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 8:111
Publisher Policy:Reproduced under a Creative Commons License

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