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Neurometabolic mechanism of dynamic musical reward processing

Poster No:

1958

Submission Type:

Abstract Submission

Authors:

Yi Du¹^,2, Xintong Jiang¹^,2, Yifan Li³, Xiaolei Song³

Institutions:

¹Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China, ²Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China, ³Tsinghua University, Beijing, China

First Author:

Yi Du
Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences|Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
Beijing, China|Beijing, China

Co-Author(s):

Xintong Jiang
Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences|Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
Beijing, China|Beijing, China

Yifan Li
Tsinghua University
Beijing, China

Xiaolei Song
Tsinghua University
Beijing, China

Introduction:

Music is widely recognized as pleasurable and rewarding, with highly pleasurable pieces even inducing experiences such as "chills." However, the dynamic neurometabolic mechanisms underlying these musical rewards remain poorly understood. A previous study combining fMRI and PET suggested dopamine release in the striatum during chills, with distinct roles for the dorsal and ventral striatum in anticipation and reward experience, respectively. In this study, we are the first to apply non-invasive functional magnetic resonance spectroscopy (fMRS) to explore the spatiotemporal metabolic patterns associated with the experience of chilling versus neutral music.

Methods:

Twenty-five music lovers participated in an experiment where they listened to self-selected highly pleasurable music during the pleasurable block and music selected by other participants during the control block. Participants reported their "chill" responses by pressing a button (Figure 1). We employed a multivoxel Glu-CEST sequence (voxel size = 3×3×3 mm³) to monitor dynamic glutamate fluctuations every 38 seconds in regions associated with musical reward processing. Additionally, a single-voxel MEGA-PRESS sequence (voxel size = 30×30×30 mm³) was used to quantify the excitatory/inhibitory (E/I) balance between Glx and GABA in the right nucleus accumbens (NAcc). Physiological responses, including heart rate and breathing, were also recorded.

·Figure 1. Experiental paradigm.

Results:

Participants exhibited a significant increase in heart rate during the pleasurable block compared to the neutral block, with no significant change in breathing rate (Figure 2A). MEGA-PRESS scans revealed a significant increase in Glx concentration in the right NAcc when listening to chilling music, with no change in GABA levels (Figure 2B). Glu-CEST scanning showed a notable increase in glutamate concentrations in key regions involved in musical reward-bilateral NAcc, right superior temporal gyrus (STG), and right orbitofrontal cortex (OFC)-during the chilling music condition, with significant correlations in glutamate concentrations across these regions (Figure 2C). Moreover, compared to the anticipation phase, the experience phase of musical reward induced significantly higher glutamate concentrations in the right putamen of the dorsal striatum (Figure 2D).

·Figure 2. Physiological and metabolic results

Conclusions:

Our findings provide novel insights into the neurometabolic fluctuations associated with the experience of chilling music. We demonstrate the utility of the non-invasive fMRS technique (Glu-CEST) in studying dynamic musical reward processing, paving the way for future research in this field.

Emotion, Motivation and Social Neuroscience:

Reward and Punishment

Higher Cognitive Functions:

Music ²

Novel Imaging Acquisition Methods:

MR Spectroscopy ¹

Physiology, Metabolism and Neurotransmission:

Cerebral Metabolism and Hemodynamics

Keywords:

Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS)

Other - functional MRS; music reward; glutamate

^1|2Indicates the priority used for review

Abstract Information

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Please indicate below if your study was a "resting state" or "task-activation” study.

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Healthy subjects only or patients (note that patient studies may also involve healthy subjects):

Healthy subjects

Was this research conducted in the United States?

Were any human subjects research approved by the relevant Institutional Review Board or ethics panel? NOTE: Any human subjects studies without IRB approval will be automatically rejected.

Yes

Were any animal research approved by the relevant IACUC or other animal research panel? NOTE: Any animal studies without IACUC approval will be automatically rejected.

Please indicate which methods were used in your research:

Other, Please specify - Functional MRS

For human MRI, what field strength scanner do you use?

3.0T

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