Brain Scans Used to Recreate Pink Floyd Song by Scientists
Scientists are striving to comprehend and replicate the distinct and captivating impact that music has on our minds. A recent study, published in PLOS Biology, achieved this by employing advanced technology to recreate Pink Floyd’s Another Brick in the Wall, Part 1 solely through brain activity. This breakthrough utilized stimulus reconstruction, a technique that builds upon previous advancements, enabling researchers to replicate a song similar to the one experienced by an individual.
29 participants had drug-resistant epilepsy and intracranial grids or electrode strips surgically implanted to aid in their treatment. The researchers used these electrodes to record activity in several auditory regions of the subjects’ brains, which process aspects of music such as lyrics and harmony—while the participants actively listened to Another Brick in the Wall, Part 1. All recordings took place in Albany. Medical Center, in upstate New York.
The researchers used artificial intelligence to analyze and create a copy of the words and sounds the participants had heard. Although the final product was quite muffled, but the song is clear to anyone listening, so you can check it out for yourself. The researchers are also confident that they could improve its quality in future attempts.
The listening experience primarily affected the right side of the participants’ brain, mostly the superior temporal gyrus, and especially when absorbing unique music. There was also slight stimulation on the left side of the brain. The researchers also found that a point in the temporal lobe of the brain lit up when the 16th note of a rhythm guitar played while playing a song at 99 beats per minute.
This finding could give more insight into the part the region plays in rhythm processing. It can also help restore people who have lost their ability to speak due to things like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Rather than creating a monotonous, almost robotic response, a better understanding of how the brain processes and responds to music can lead to more fluent speech prostheses.
