BRAIN REWIRING: SOUND MAGIC

 BRAIN REWIRING: SOUND MAGIC

Ever wonder what’s happening in your Brain when you listen to a steady beat or a musical note? A new study from Aarhus University and the University of Oxford says it’s not just a matter of hearing—the Brain is reorganizing itself on the fly.

When a sound enters your ear, it’s more than just a signal traveling to your Brain. Brain researchers have shown that the Brain can rapidly reshape its networks, creating a complex dance between brainwaves in different areas. This work, published in Advanced Science, was led by Dr. Mattia Rosso and Associate Professor Leonardo Bonetti from the Center for Music in the Brain, in partnership with Oxford.

Their team developed a new neuroimaging tool called FREQ-NESS (Frequency-resolved Network Estimation via Source Separation). This technique uses sophisticated algorithms to separate overlapping brain networks based on their dominant frequencies. Once a network’s frequency “signature” is found, FREQ-NESS can map how that network spreads across the Brain in the iBraine.

“We tend to think of brainwaves as fixed—alpha, beta, gamma—and the brain as a collection of separate regions,” Dr. Rosso explains. “But our method shows something much more dynamic. Brain activity is constantly tuned to our inner state and what’s happening around us. FREQ-NESS lets us see how each frequency plays out across the Brain.”

FREQ-NESS is a leap forward for brain research. Unlike older techniques focusing on predefined frequency bands or target regions, this new approach analyzes the whole Brain with remarkable precision in frequency and space. The implications are wide-ranging, from advancing fundamental neuroscience and brain-computer interfaces to improving clinical diagnostics.

This discovery adds to a growing body of evidence that the Brain’s shape determines how we hear music and perceive, pay attention, and even experience altered states of consciousness.

“The brain isn’t just passively reacting—it’s reconfiguring itself, and for the first time, we can actually see that process,” says Professor Bonetti. “This could transform how we study the brain’s response to music, consciousness, daydreaming, and how we relate to the world around us.”

A global research effort, supported by neuroscientists worldwide, is underway to expand on this technique. Support FREQ-NESS has proven reliable across different experiments and datasets. Professor Bonetti believes it may someday make personalized brain mapping possible.