Lateral prefrontal cortex as a hub for music production with gradation from structural rules to movement sequences
Bianco, R.; Novembre, G.; Ringer, H.; Kohler, N.; Keller, P. E.; Villringer, A.; Sammler, D.
Show abstract
Complex sequential behaviours, such as speaking or playing music, often entail the flexible, rule-based chaining of single acts. However, it remains unclear how the brain translates abstract structural rules into concrete series of movements. Here we demonstrate a multi-level contribution of anatomically distinct cognitive and motor networks to the execution of novel musical sequences. We combined functional and diffusion-weighted neuroimaging to dissociate high-level structural and low-level motor planning of musical chord sequences executed on a piano. Fronto-temporal and fronto-parietal neural networks were involved when sequences violated pianists structural or motor plans, respectively. Prefrontal cortex is identified as a hub where both networks converge within an anterior-to-posterior gradient of action control linking abstract structural rules to concrete movement sequences.
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