Humans store memories of well known melodies and songs in the right anterior temporal lobe, an area of the brain, neuroscientists from Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) reported in the journal Brain. The authors explained that their finding forms part of a study on dementia and memory loss, focusing on how we recognize and remember sounds.

Senior researcher, Dr Olivier Piguet, said:

“This research helps us to identify which areas of our brain are critical for storing knowledge and memories. Importantly, it allows us to understand what happens when these storage systems break down in degenerative diseases such as dementia, and how we may be able to remediate that damage. “

The researchers experimented on two groups of people, 27 participants with dementia, the other group consisted of 20 healthy controls. They were asked whether they could tell the difference between well known melodies and made-up ones. The made up ones were played in the same tempo and key, but the notes were different.

In the dementia group, 13 had Alzheimer’s disease while 14 had semantic dementia. Patients with semantic dementia have lost their understanding of concepts, objects and words.

Individuals with semantic dementia are known to have problems appreciate the meanings of environmental sounds early on. However, scientists had known little about their knowledge of famous melodies.

Those with semantic dementia could not recognize well known tunes. MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans revealed that the anterior temporal lobe of their brains had shrunk.

The anterior temporal lobe is located behind the ear and is known play a key role in recognizing famous faces.

The patients with Alzheimer’s disease, however, did not have significant damage in the anterior temporal lobe.

Dr Piguet said:

“Although people with Alzheimer’s disease have certain difficulties with memory, their ability to remember and recognize music is preserved. This is important for families and carers (caregivers), who can use music as a means of communication and enjoyment.”

Dr Piquet added that their study provide scientists with a unique opportunity to study the structure of memory in the human brain.

Dr Piguet added:

“Every day, we are building a more detailed ‘map’ of the human brain,” he says. “As our ‘map’ improves, we will be better able to understand how we can repair the damage that occurs in dementia.”

Written by Christian Nordqvist