Language, music, syntax and the brain

A really interesting high-level article by Aniruddh D. Patel and published in Nature Neuroscience which looks at the comparative study and cognitive theory of music and language and its representation in the brain. The paper is titled, Language, music, syntax and the brain and was published in the July 2003 Volume of the Journal.

Comparative neural research on language and music can focus on a number of different levels, such as the level of individual speech and musical sounds, or of melodic and rhythmic patterns. This article focuses on syntax, a topic of central concern in the neuroscience of language. An interesting paradox has emerged from comparative language-music research in this area. Recent neuroimaging data suggests an overlap in the processing of syntactic relations in language and music.

Reference: Aniruddh D. P. (July, 2003), Language, music, syntax and the brain. Volume 6 Number 7 pp 674 - 681 [Online] Available: http://www.nature.com/neuroscience