I hear movements: why motor brain regions are active when we listen to musical rhythms

声音和动作是紧密相连的。谁没有体验过随着行进乐队的节拍敲击或随着桑巴曲调摇摆臀部的冲动？甚至连婴儿在会爬行或走路之前都会自发地随着音乐移动身体，一只名叫雪球的鹦鹉可以随着流行的曲调及时地拍打他的脚。音乐也被用来帮助脑损伤患者再次行动。然而，目前还没有人能解释为什么听音乐会迫使我们搬家。为了洞察这一谜团，我的研究将发现大脑如何将声音和动作联系起来。 节奏是我们协调动作的音乐的主要驱动力。我们的新研究将研究健康的成年人，以了解为什么控制运动的大脑区域即使在我们听音乐节奏时也会活跃，而不是有意识地想要移动。首先，我们将演示声音和运动之间的联系：听到有节奏的声音让我们想要移动，并激活控制运动的大脑区域，而不是看到弹跳球等节奏模式。其次，我们将揭示大脑控制运动的区域是活跃的，因为它们模拟运动来帮助我们预测声音的时间，如音乐中的节拍或脉搏。因此，这可能会促进我们与音乐同步(即按节拍)移动的愿望和能力。当我们听到音乐节奏时，了解这些运动脑区在做什么将有助于我们更好地理解它们是如何控制运动的，并有助于解释为什么人类在听到音乐时被迫移动这一常见现象。这项工作还将有助于更深入地了解我们的大脑是如何将声音与动作结合在一起的，这可能会揭示为什么与音乐相关的康复疗法可以促进脑损伤后的运动恢复。 这项拟议的研究将进一步增强加拿大在音乐和大脑研究方面的国际领先地位。理解一些现象，比如当我们听到音乐时，我们为什么会移动，这是了解我们大脑如何运作的一种有趣的方式。这些知识将帮助我们理解我们如何处理语言、音乐和舞蹈，以及参与声音和动作的能力，并处于人类文化的核心。

Sounds and movements are intimately linked. Who has not experienced the urge to tap to the beat of a marching band, or sway their hips to a samba tune? Even babies spontaneously move their bodies with music before they can crawl or walk, and a cockatoo named Snowball can tap his feet in time with a popular tune. Music has also been harnessed to help people with brain injury move again. Currently, however, there is no explanation for why listening to music compels us to move. To gain insight into this mystery, my research will discover how the brain links sounds and movements. Rhythm is the key driving force in music with which we coordinate our movements. Our novel research will study healthy adults to understand why brain regions controlling movements are active even when we listen to musical rhythms without the conscious intention to move. First, we will demonstrate the link between sounds and movements: hearing rhythmic sounds is what makes us want to move and activates brain regions that control movements, not seeing rhythmic patterns such as a bouncing ball. Second, we will reveal brain regions controlling movements are active because they are simulating movements to help us predict the timing of sounds such as the beat or pulse in music. This may consequently facilitate our desire and ability to move synchronously (i.e. on the beat) with music. Knowledge of what these movement brain regions are doing when we hear musical rhythm will help us better understand how they control movements, and shed light on the commonplace phenomenon of why humans are compelled to move when we hear music. This work will also contribute to a deeper understanding of how our brain integrates sound with movements, which may reveal insights into why music-related rehabilitation therapies can promote recovery of movements after brain injury. The proposed research will further enhance Canada as an international leader in research on music and the brain. Understanding phenomenon such as why we move when we hear music is a fascinating way to understand how our brain functions. This knowledge will help us understand how we process language, music and dance, faculties that engage sounds and movements, and lie at the heart of human culture.