Music perception and imagery in EEG: Alpha band effects of task and stimulus

Previous work has shown that mental imagination of sound generally elicits an increase of alpha band activity (8–12 Hz) in the electroencephalogram (EEG). In addition, alpha activity has been shown to be related to aspects of music processing. In the current study, EEG signatures were investigated for perception and imagery of two different natural musical phrases. The responses are compared between tasks and between stimuli. For all tasks and stimuli, posterior alpha band activity was seen, but differences are shown in the power of this response. As expected, imagery resulted in a significantly stronger alpha activation than perception. The comparison of the averaged responses to the stimuli also showed a difference in alpha power, although this effect is seen in different directions. These results are interpreted to indicate that both the tasks and the stimuli modulate an attentional network, which may relate to the inhibition of non-task relevant cortical areas, as well as engagement with the music.

► The EEG shows more posterior alpha during perception. ► Stimulus content may modulate posterior alpha, wih large interpersonal differences. ► Alpha distributions vary greatly, indicating cerebral differences in music processing.