Fig. 1.

Model of the possible involvement of the human mirror neuron system in representing meaning and affective responses to music. One aspect of the experience of music involves the perception of intentional, hierarchically organized sequences of motor acts with temporally synchronous auditory information. Auditory features of the musical signal are processed primarily in the superior temporal gyrus (STG) and combined with synchronous structural features of the ‘motion’ information conveyed by the musical signal in the posterior inferior frontal gyrus (BA 44) and adjacent premotor cortex. The anterior insula forms a neural conduit between the mirror neuron system and the limbic system, allowing this information to be evaluated in relation to one's own autonomic and emotional state contributing to a complex affective response mediated by the limbic system. Possible feedback mechanisms may influence the subsequent processing of the musical signal at the immediate and more long-term timescales. The shared recruitment of this neural mechanism in both the sender and the perceiver of the musical message allows for co-representation and sharing of the musical experience. Music notes from ‘The Lady Sings the Blues’ by Billie Holiday and Herbie Nichols.