ReviewThalamocortical mechanisms for integrating musical tone and rhythm

•Core and Matrix are anatomically/physiologically distinct thalamocortical pathways.•Musical tone and rhythm may diverge into Core and Matrix systems respectively.•Matrix inputs to A1 modulate oscillatory (excitability) phase in A1 neuron ensembles.•Core inputs encode tonal content that directly drive neuronal firing in A1.•Matrix-Core interactions physiologically blend context and content in music.

Studies over several decades have identified many of the neuronal substrates of music perception by pursuing pitch and rhythm perception separately. Here, we address the question of how these mechanisms interact, starting with the observation that the peripheral pathways of the so-called “Core” and “Matrix” thalamocortical system provide the anatomical bases for tone and rhythm channels. We then examine the hypothesis that these specialized inputs integrate acoustic content within rhythm context in auditory cortex using classical types of “driving” and “modulatory” mechanisms. This hypothesis provides a framework for deriving testable predictions about the early stages of music processing. Furthermore, because thalamocortical circuits are shared by speech and music processing, such a model provides concrete implications for how music experience contributes to the development of robust speech encoding mechanisms.This article is part of a Special Issue entitled .