Groundbreaking research reveals how the brain turns sound into music
Dr. Iran R. Roman, Lecturer of Artificial Intelligence at the School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science, and a group of external collaborators have revealed a groundbreaking theory explaining how the brain transforms sound into the human experience of music.
Published in Nature Reviews Neuroscience, the international study introduces Neural Resonance Theory (NRT), which explains how the brain’s own rhythms synchronise with musical elements—like beat, harmony, and melody—to create emotion, anticipation, and movement.
Led by Dr. Edward W. Large (University of Connecticut) and including Dr. Iran R. Roman, the research challenges older theories that rely heavily on prediction and learned expectations. Instead, NRT proposes that music perception is rooted in physical processes: the brain's neural oscillations naturally resonate with the structure of music. This resonance gives rise to our sense of timing, musical pleasure, and the drive to dance or tap along.
“What we’re hearing isn’t just outside of us—it’s something the brain is literally doing,” says Dr. Roman. “This could change how we think about music in therapy, AI, and education.”
One of the most compelling aspects of NRT is that it bridges science with cross-cultural understanding. It shows that musical structures found around the world—like pulse, consonance, and octave relationships—map onto the brain’s most stable resonant states. This could explain why music can feel universal, even when the style is unfamiliar.
Real-world implications include:
- Music and Health: NRT may improve music therapy for conditions like Parkinson’s, depression, or stroke by helping tailor rhythm-based interventions.
- Smarter AI Music Tools: Machines trained on neural resonance could produce more emotionally intelligent and culturally aware music.
- Inclusive Education: Learning tools could use resonance to help people better grasp rhythm and pitch.
- Global Understanding: The theory affirms shared biological roots of musical expression across cultures.
By merging neuroscience, music cognition, and physics, Neural Resonance Theory offers a fresh and inspiring lens into how and why music moves us—literally and emotionally.
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