Harvey Alan R
School of Human Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Science, Perth, WA, Australia.
Front Hum Neurosci. 2020 Aug 26;14:350. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2020.00350. eCollection 2020.
The human species possesses two complementary, yet distinct, universal communication systems-language and music. Functional imaging studies have revealed that some core elements of these two systems are processed in closely related brain regions, but there are also clear differences in brain circuitry that likely underlie differences in functionality. Music affects many aspects of human behavior, especially in encouraging prosocial interactions and promoting trust and cooperation within groups of culturally compatible but not necessarily genetically related individuals. Music, presumably its impact on the limbic system, is also rewarding and motivating, and music can facilitate aspects of learning and memory. In this review these special characteristics of music are considered in light of recent research on the neuroscience of the peptide oxytocin, a hormone that has both peripheral and central actions, that plays a role in many complex human behaviors, and whose expression has recently been reported to be affected by music-related activities. I will first briefly discuss what is currently known about the peptide's physiological actions on neurons and its interactions with other neuromodulator systems, then summarize recent advances in our knowledge of the distribution of oxytocin and its receptor (OXTR) in the human brain. Next, the complex links between oxytocin and various social behaviors in humans are considered. First, how endogenous oxytocin levels relate to individual personality traits, and then how exogenous, intranasal application of oxytocin affects behaviors such as trust, empathy, reciprocity, group conformity, anxiety, and overall social decision making under different environmental conditions. It is argued that many of these characteristics of oxytocin biology closely mirror the diverse effects that music has on human cognition and emotion, providing a link to the important role music has played throughout human evolutionary history and helping to explain why music remains a special prosocial human asset. Finally, it is suggested that there is a potential synergy in combining oxytocin- and music-based strategies to improve general health and aid in the treatment of various neurological dysfunctions.
人类拥有两种互补但又截然不同的通用交流系统——语言和音乐。功能成像研究表明，这两种系统的一些核心元素在密切相关的脑区进行处理，但脑回路也存在明显差异，这可能是功能差异的基础。音乐影响人类行为的许多方面，特别是在鼓励亲社会互动以及促进文化相容但不一定有基因关联的个体群体内部的信任与合作方面。音乐，大概是其对边缘系统的影响，也具有奖赏和激励作用，并且音乐可以促进学习和记忆的各个方面。在这篇综述中，根据最近对肽催产素神经科学的研究来考虑音乐的这些特殊特征，催产素是一种具有外周和中枢作用的激素，在许多复杂的人类行为中起作用，并且最近有报道称其表达受音乐相关活动的影响。我将首先简要讨论目前已知的该肽对神经元的生理作用及其与其他神经调节系统的相互作用，然后总结我们对催产素及其受体（OXTR）在人类大脑中分布的最新认识进展。接下来，考虑催产素与人类各种社会行为之间的复杂联系。首先，内源性催产素水平如何与个体人格特质相关，然后外源性经鼻应用催产素如何在不同环境条件下影响诸如信任、同理心、互惠、群体从众、焦虑和整体社会决策等行为。有人认为，催产素生物学的许多这些特征与音乐对人类认知和情感的多样影响密切相似，这为音乐在整个人类进化历史中所起的重要作用提供了联系，并有助于解释为什么音乐仍然是人类特殊的亲社会资产。最后，有人提出在结合基于催产素和音乐的策略以改善总体健康状况并辅助治疗各种神经功能障碍方面存在潜在的协同作用。
