Modulation of theta and gamma oscillations during familiarization with previously unknown music

Repeated listening to unknown music leads to gradual familiarization with musical sequences. Passively listening to musical sequences could involve an array of dynamic neural responses in reaching familiarization with the musical excerpts. This study elucidates the dynamic brain response and its variation over time by investigating the electrophysiological changes during the familiarization with initially unknown music. Twenty subjects were asked to familiarize themselves with previously unknown 10 s classical music excerpts over three repetitions while their electroencephalogram was recorded. Dynamic spectral changes in neural oscillations are monitored by time–frequency analyses for all frequency bands (theta: 5–9 Hz, alpha: 9–13 Hz, low-beta: 13–21 Hz, high beta: 21–32 Hz, and gamma: 32–50 Hz). Time-frequency analyses reveal sustained theta event-related desynchronization (ERD) in the frontal-midline and the left pre-frontal electrodes which decreased gradually from 1st to 3rd time repetition of the same excerpts (frontal-midline: 57.90 %, left-prefrontal: 75.93 %). Similarly, sustained gamma ERD decreased in the frontal-midline and bilaterally frontal/temporal areas (frontal-midline: 61.47 %, left-frontal: 90.88 %, right-frontal: 87.74 %). During familiarization, the decrease of theta ERD is superior in the first part (1–5 s) whereas the decrease of gamma ERD is superior in the second part (5–9 s) of music excerpts. The results suggest that decreased theta ERD is associated with successfully identifying familiar sequences, whereas decreased gamma ERD is related to forming unfamiliar sequences.