Scientists decode imagined melodies from human brain waves
Researchers have successfully trained computer models to decode the structure of imagined melodies from human brain waves. By tracking relative pitch, the models reconstructed the melodic contours of silent songs directly from neural recordings.
Researchers from Seoul National University have successfully decoded the basic structure of imagined melodies from human brain waves, focusing on the relative pitch rather than exact pitch. Published in the journal eNeuro, the study demonstrates that computer models can reconstruct the general rising and falling contours of a silent song directly from neural recordings.
This breakthrough shows that the brain's internal auditory experiences can be accessed and translated into recognizable musical sequences. The researchers used electrocorticography, a technique involving electrodes implanted directly on the brain, to record electrical activity from 10 patients with epilepsy. Participants listened to familiar children's songs in different keys and imagined the next two measures, allowing researchers to capture high-gamma activity associated with active sensory processing.
This achievement marks a significant step in understanding how the brain processes music and could have implications for developing technologies that translate brain waves into musical output.
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