“Neural Correlates of Specific Musical Anhedonia”,2016 ():
Significance: This study provides direct evidence supporting the model of reward–auditory cortex interaction as underlying musical pleasure: People who do not experience that pleasure have selectively reduced responses in that system.
People who are especially sensitive to musical reward conversely seem to show an enhanced interaction. Our paper offers insights into the neurobiological basis of music-induced pleasure that could also provide the basis for thinking more broadly about other types of esthetic rewards.
Our results also provide an important step toward the understanding of how music may have acquired reward value through evolution.