Investigation the Neurological Processing of Rhythm in Persian Dastgah Music Using Neuroimaging Techniques

The investigation of rhythm processing in Iranian “Dastgah” music using fMRI. 12 right handed musicians with the age range of 20-30 years listened to rhythmic and non-rhythmic pieces of Mahour Dastgah in a random order, and their brain activation was measured. Pieces of rhythmic and non-rhythmic Mahour activated specific parts of the brain. The regions most activated during non-rhythmic Mahour pieces included right middle frontal gyrus, right planum temporal, and right superior temporal gyrus. Also, rhythmic Mahour pieces activated left Amygdala, left frontal pole, left orbitofrontal cortex, left middle temporal gyrus, and left primary motor cortex. Based on the findings of the present study, it could be concluded that laterality plays an important role in the appreciation of rhythm. The data can be also interpreted based on the hierarchical model, meaning that music possessing a higher level of complex factors such as rhythm, is processed in higher levels of the brain.