Did you know, we have an area in our brain that is tuned into singing?

We all have loads of neurons that constantly send messages around our body and brain. Connected by synapses, the neurons help us do lots of things, like form memories, move, and create feelings. Scientists continue to find out more about the role of neurons and one study has been focusing on their part in processing the sounds we hear. 

A small study, led by The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, discovered a subpopulation of neurons that respond specifically to singing but not to other types of music.^[1]  

Sam Norman-Haignere, an assistant professor of neuroscience at the University of Rochester Medical Centre says, "There's one population of neurons that responds to singing, and then very nearby is another population of neurons that responds broadly to lots of music.”^[1] 

Scientists aren’t exactly sure why some neurons react to singing, but Jörg Fachner, professor of music, health and the brain, thinks it might possibly be linked to being fundamental to our survival,^[2] not necessarily biologically, but mentally and emotionally.^[3] 

When you sing to your child, you now know that specific neurons in their brain respond to the sound of your voice, and they switch on, generating a response from your child. 

References: 

[1] Massachusetts Institute of Technology. (2022). Singing in the brain: Neuroscientists have identified a population of neurons in the human brain that respond to singing but not other types of music. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 23, 2022 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/02/220222121221.htm 

[2] Murugesu, J.A. (2022) There are neurons in the brain that only seem to respond to singing. New Scientist.  

[3] Harvard Health. (2021) Music and Health.